Menopause Café first for Fochabers fire station
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FOCHABERS fire station have become the first in Moray to host a a Menopause Café event.
Held on Monday, January 9, the informal gathering sought to help promote greater understanding of the menopause.
Featuring a talk via video link from two speakers from the Firefighters' Charity, AJ Whittaker and Sally Walker, the evening started off with a discussion of what people know about the menopause followed by an examination of the barriers, bias and judgements surrounding it. The focus then shifted to the symptoms – both physical and psychological – and how to manage them at home and at work, as well as communication during tough times and self-help.
The meeting rounded off with a Q&A session.
There was also the opportunity to enjoy a cuppa and an informal chat.
Fochabers fire station Crew Commander Dave Crawford said he was delighted with the response to the inaugural event.
He continued: "We had a fantastic turnout, the training room in the station was packed which was great to see.
"It was only the second talk AJ and Sally have done so it was a learning curve for them as it was for us all.
"The feedback we've had has been excellent and really positive, we haven't had any negative responses to it at all.
"There is definitely a desire to take this forward and dates and times for further Menopause Cafés will be released in the near future. We'll be delighted to accommodate those at Fochabers fire station."
Addressing a need in the local community was on of the main inspirations behind the event.
Mr Crawford said: "It's something we've been made aware that there's a need for so we decided to take it on ourselves to organise an informal event like this.
"We're the first fire station in Moray to hold a Menopause Café and hopefully it'll be rolled out to other on-call stations in the region.
"The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) are also interested in seeing how this progresses."
Some links requested from the meeting were: https://www.menopausematters.co.uk; https://www.womens-health-concern.org; https://www.daisynetwork.org; https://menopausematters.co.uk/greenescore.php
Area Commander Chay Ewing, the SFRS Local Senior Officer for Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire and Moray praised the Fochabers initiative.
He said: "I would like to thank staff at Fochabers Fire Station as well as representatives from the Firefighters Charity for organising this important event.
"As an employer, we recognise that some of our colleagues can find the symptoms of menopause difficult to cope with.
"In view of this, we have recently introduced a monthly online Menopause Café which invites all of our staff to attend in order to better understand menopause and its potential impact.
"SFRS, as an employer, provides a range of information and guidance to help employees suffering from the impact of menopause, but to also show staff how they can support colleagues who may be struggling."
Dates and times for future Menopause Cafés will be posted on Fochabers fire station's Facebook page.
