A 12-session menopause group in Harpurhey set up through community-led programme, Winning Hearts and Minds, has been so successful it is now a weekly community hub running indefinitely – becoming the first Menopause and Perimenopause specific group in North Manchester.
Started in September 2024 at the Harpurhey Neighbourhood Centre, the menopause hub was created by Leonie Painter, Community Development Fieldworker for Winning Hearts and Minds, who realised the lack of peer-led resources and safe spaces after being approached by women in the local community for guidance.
Originally designed as a 12-week course, the aim was to break the stigma around menopause by giving women a space to talk – discussing subjects such as brain fog with others who understand, increasing their knowledge of perimenopause and menopause, and busting myths.
Leonie said: “I had experienced the anxiety, loneliness and confusion that comes with menopause when my own symptoms started a few years ago, just after Covid. I didn’t know what they were and didn’t think I could talk to anyone about it. I thought I was losing my mind and ended up quitting my job. It was only after learning what was causing it that I began to feel better, but it’s taken a long time to get to this point.
“That’s why I know how important it was to put something in place for the women of North Manchester, and why the first session was all about establishing that this was their group. I was just there to provide a safe non-judgemental space.”
Funded by Winning Hearts and Minds, a public health initiative under Manchester City Council aimed at reducing health inequalities in North Manchester, and by Jigsaw Housing, which provides targeted community-based funding. The initial sessions proved so successful that over ten months later, the hub is still going strong. It’s now a long-term community resource, with drop-in sessions, expert speakers, and a growing network.
Local GPs are now referring patients to the hub. The group has built a network that includes NHS practitioners, health coaches and nutritionists. Organisations regularly offer free expert talk covering everything from symptoms and HRT, to bone health, lifestyle and mindfulness. HOME the independent cinema, theatre and gallery in Manchester, even gave members of the hub free tickets to BBC Breakfast host Naga Munchetty’s recent women’s health-related book tour.
What’s more, some of the original members have completed Menopause Champion training, so they can support and signpost other women in the community.
Leonie said: “The group has become a lifeline for the women involved – not just offering valuable information, but empowering women through shared experiences. They don’t have to come every week, but they know the hub is here when they need it. They have the power to shape the topics and choose the experts we bring in.
“Our message is: menopause doesn’t mean your life is ending – it’s a new chapter. As responsibilities like hands-on childcare wind down, it’s a chance to rediscover what you want for yourself.
“It’s all about ensuring the ladies are now forearmed and understand more about what is happening to them. Through education and shared experiences, we hope this group will not only encourage women to talk to each other about the menopause, but also their daughters and granddaughters so no one feels alone. As well as highlight the importance of making healthy lifestyle decisions when you are younger, so you stay well for longer when you are older.”
It is because of the hub’s success, Winning Hearts and Minds hopes it can help to expand the model across Manchester and beyond by sharing their learnings from North Manchester and collaborating with other organisations who would like to take similar approaches in their own areas.
Leonie said: “What is clear from the feedback of the women who attend the Menopause Hub and GP practices in the area, is that more needs to be done to help women in general with facing what perimenopause and menopause brings. That’s why I want to spread the model across not just Manchester but whole of England.
“By removing the stigma around menopause and getting women of all ages talking about it, it means that we can help every woman feel informed and empowered, rather than confused and alone.
Matthew Berry, Health Coach at Urban Village Medical Practice and one of the very first NHS leads that supported the group added: “Working with Leonie and the Women’s Menopause group has been a very positive experience and an example of health generation from within community. Leonie has listened carefully to the lived experience and to the complex and wide-ranging issues relating to women and menopause across North Manchester.
“Leonie has networked tirelessly to bring the best information to the women’s health hub. This, I believe, means that local women are now understanding their needs, supporting each other (by becoming health champions) and as such becoming powerful advocates for better women’s health in our community.”
Cllr Thomas Robinson, Executive Member for Healthy Manchester and Adult Social Care at Manchester City Council, said: “Reducing health inequalities is the key to addressing long-standing health issues that have impacts on so many facets of life.
“That’s why our public health team focus on ways of working that empower communities to lead improvements to their own health and wellbeing, so that bespoke support is put in place.”
To find out more about the North Manchester Women’s Menopause Hub visit the Chat & Change, North Manchester Menopause Peer Support Group page on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/
