Bedford project receives over £18,000 in National Lottery funding to open the door to menopause support

Friday 18 October is World Menopause Day, and this year there’s even more reason to celebrate for Bedford project The Menopause Alliance. The group has just received over £18,000 in National Lottery funding, to continue and expand its vital work providing menopause and midlife peer support for local women.

This vital funding comes from The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest community funder in the UK. The Menopause Alliance’s project aims to bring women together, create a supportive network and improve their health and wellbeing.

Anita Powell, Founder of the Menopause Alliance said: “Thanks to National Lottery players, we can expand our work to focus on supporting women in hard to reach communities.

“I have six years of learning behind me, so I want to create projects for women who are less likely to engage with health services or prioritise their health. Once women do that it improves their relationships, mental health, finances and many other things. Women are mothers, wives, employees. It benefits the whole community if some of the issues they are living with can be addressed.”

Anita started the group back in 2018. In her job as a community support worker, she was speaking to local women in their 40s and 50s and noticing how their conversations were often centred around feeling tired all the time and experiencing aches and pains.

She said: “I noticed I was changing too - when I did sport I was more likely to injure myself and I was struggling to sleep. I attended a TED Talk about fertility, and the importance of knowing about your mother’s menopause as it gives a good indication of when you might go through it.

“I went away and did my research and was shocked that in my 40s I was only just learning about such an important stage in women’s lives. I didn’t understand how detrimental menopause could be, and how the changes a woman goes through can affect her mentally as well as physically.”

Because of Anita’s work in the community, she was also more aware of the health inequalities surrounding menopause and that for certain cultural groups, it’s still such a taboo. She was meeting women for whom menopause was massively affecting their lives.

Anita knew a menopause support group was needed so she set up a Facebook page. She planned to organise a meeting at a café or pub and expected a few people to turn up. But within weeks she had over 100 followers. Using her community contacts, she organised a menopause conference. She didn’t need to promote it and quickly all the tickets sold out.

Coming to the groups gives women a safe space to talk about menopause with others who are going through the same thing. Over a cuppa, or during a walk or an activity, the women can share stories and advice.

Anita added: “The women share tales of local doctors who have been supportive, vitamins or supplements that have helped or food and exercise regimes. The menopause is different for every woman but by arming yourself with knowledge and support, a woman can go out in the world and make her own decisions about how she wants to move forward.”

Teena Littley has attended Menopause Alliance events and consequently has sought help for her own symptoms and worked to make her workplace more menopause friendly.

Teena said: “I was so surprised to learn from Anita about how the menopause can manifest in such a variety of ways.

“Since incorporating this topic within my work, and providing members of the community with information, I believe there is nowhere near enough awareness on the subject. I have met with women who have experienced changes of character that’s affected their families. They haven’t understood what’s wrong or where they can source help. I also realised many of the symptoms I was experiencing could be due to the menopause, and as a result saw my doctor to be prescribed HRT.”

This funding comes as The National Lottery prepares to celebrate its 30th Birthday on 19th November. The National Lottery has been changing lives every day for the past 30 years, funding thousands of projects which help build resilient, inclusive and environmentally sustainable communities - and create healthier and happier lives. Thanks to National Lottery players, more than £49 billion has been raised for good causes in this time.

Helen Bushell, Head of Regional Funding for London, the South East and East of England at The National Lottery Community Fund, said: “We’re delighted to support the amazing work of the Menopause Alliance, which helps local women to come together and live healthier lives.

“Our funding decisions in London, the South East and East of England are powered by community expertise. Working within and alongside communities, we respond to their unique needs, strengths and opportunities, keeping our decision-making local.

“For the last 30 years no one has done more to change the game in the UK than National Lottery players. But our work is just getting started, and we’re developing new plans to go bigger and bolder with our funding - while continuing to address local issues through our existing programmes and initiatives. We’re committed to pursuing a fairer, stronger society.”

The Menopause Alliance isn’t alone in benefiting from National Lottery funding. Today it was announced that almost £15 million of National Lottery funding has been distributed to 213 community organisations across the East of England in the past three months*.

National Lottery players raise over £30 million a week for good causes across the UK. Thanks to them, last year The National Lottery Community Fund was able to distribute over half a billion pounds (£615.4 million) of life-changing funding to communities. To find out more visit www.TNLCommunityFund.org.uk