Suffolk Libraries and Suffolk Mind have been celebrating the achievements of the Menopause & Me project which comes to end this week after two years.
Menopause & Me was launched in March 2023 with funding from the Department for Health and Social Care’s Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise Health and Wellbeing Fund.
Although the two year funding comes to an end this month, the programme will still have a strong legacy in Suffolk with as support, guidance and resources will still be on offer to help people in Suffolk experiencing the menopause and perimenopause.
Suffolk Libraries and Suffolk Mind are highlighting the difference the project has made over the past two years, including:
The free six-week Lived Experience course, facilitated by Suffolk Mind, offered interactive learning activities and opportunities for people to share their experiences, and each session focussed on a different aspect of the menopause including managing symptoms, sleep and anxiety, and how to build a support network. Feedback from this course was very positive:
The project has received a huge amount of positive feedback from those who have taken part in a Lived Experience course:
Terri Regent from Ipswich took part in the programme and emphasised how important it is to support people affected by the menopause. She said it took her several years to realise she could be having perimenopause, as "nobody tells you". She said:
“Nobody should suffer in silence and every person on their menopause journey should have access to resources and education,”
One in 10 women who have been employed during the menopause have left work due to menopause symptoms, and eight out of 10 women say their employer hasn’t shared information, trained staff, or put in place a menopause absence policy.
Through the Menopause & Me project, Suffolk Libraries worked with 86 local organisations to deliver Employer Training which focussed on raising awareness of the menopause and how its impact and associated symptoms can be supported and managed within the workplace. After taking part in the Employer Training, 96% of employers felt confident in their own ability to advise employees on menopause support.
Some feedback from local employers included:
The Menopause & Me information hub on the Suffolk Libraries website has received over 16,200 visits since its launch and offers 29 free downloadable resources for both people with lived experience and employers, including a symptom checker, accessible workbook, HRT factsheet, tips on managing brain fog and much more.
Suffolk Libraries recently worked with local translators from Ipswich Community Media and Ipswich Romanian Community to provide professional translations of some of our most popular resources into Romanian, Polish, Portuguese and Bengali, which are the main languages spoken in Suffolk after English.
All resources – which have so far been downloaded almost 600 times – will remain available on the Suffolk Libraries website for everyone, even after the project ends.
Suffolk Libraries also worked with Ace Anglia to run information sessions on menopause for women with learning disabilities and autistic women and their support workers. A film was also created by ACE featuring those with a learning disability talking about their experience of the menopause.
Support workers have fed back to ACE that they would now be more aware of menopause symptoms and how to have conversations with the women they support. People with learning disabilities said they learned a lot about the symptoms from this project with one person saying: “It’s great to know there is support available, and we are not alone.”
Jane Cox, Suffolk Libraries Community Mental Health and Wellbeing Manager said:
“We’re very proud of the achievements of this programme and would like to thank everyone who has engaged with and supported Menopause & Me, in particular our partners Suffolk Mind. This is an issue which will affect everyone, whether it’s you or a loved one or friend going through the menopause or perimenopause. That’s why it’s essential that although the project itself is ending soon, that we have resources and information as a lasting legacy to help people."
Corinna Hanley, Community Services Manager at Suffolk Mind, said:
“Suffolk Mind were delighted to partner with Suffolk Libraries as awareness of the menopause is rising and with it, the opportunity to support local people. We used the Emotional Needs and Resources approach to support people’s mental health with practical skills and knowledge as they experience symptoms of peri-menopause and menopause.
“Suffolk Mind are proud of the Menopause & Me partnership and to have supported so many people experiencing menopause through our libraries."
For more information on Suffolk Mind’s menopause support you can visit their website.
