A SUPPORT group for women going through the menopause has received ‘overwhelming support’ from the community since it started seven months ago, the organiser has said.
The Menopause Café was launched on Saturday 1st April at The Good Heart by local woman Kathryn Foster for perimenopausal, menopausal and menopause-curious people to come together in mutual care and support.
Since their first meeting seven months ago, Kathryn says they have had six meet ups at The Good Heart plus a summer picnic and an evening walk and talk event.
“There has been overwhelming support for the group and every month we welcome new faces, which is wonderful to see,” says Kathryn. “The feedback has been great too; people have been able to make connections, discover helpful resources and find support when they most need it. I’m really proud of what’s been achieved so far!”
Kathryn said she had the idea to start at Menopause Café whilst writing a book about menopause inequality. She put a message out on Facebook to see who would be interested in joining the group and 50 women responded.
“The next meet up will be on Saturday 14th October at The Good Heart, when we’ll be joined by Bowen Technique expert Janie Godfrey, who’ll be talking about how Bowen Technique can help alleviate menopause symptoms,” says Kathryn. “At the following meet up on Saturday 18th November, yoga and breathwork teacher Sookhi will lead a short breathwork session to show us how breathing exercises can be used to regulate the nervous system, which can be a real benefit to women in menopause.
“I hope there will be plenty more great guest speakers at future meetups – I’m always on the lookout! And finally, I’ll be hosting a day retreat locally in March, ‘Making Friends with Your Body in Menopause and Times of Change’, with therapist and bodyworker Jo Porritt, which will hopefully be the first of many.”
You can find out more on the Facebook page, www.facebook.com/fromemenopausecafe
