The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Perth’s Menopause celebrations spread around the world
perth: Festival seeks to encourage people to talk about a ‘taboo’ topic
A menopause festival in Perth has inspired an outbreak of similar celebrations across the globe.
The Fair City project, which began last year, was the first of its kind.
The Menopause Café, which encouraged men and women to get together to share their experiences of the third stage of life, spawned a festival that kicked off in Perth last month.
Now organisers are securing charity status for the cafe.
The venture is being replicated throughout the UK, thanks to a guide produced by the Perth team to help others run their own events.
The first café outside the UK has taken place in Toronto, Canada.
Organisers say employers are finally waking up to the importance of talking about the menopause, with more than 30 women from Scottish and Southern Energy in Perth attending a local event.
Co-organiser Rachel Weiss, of sponsors Rowan Consultancy, said: “When we organised the first ever Menopause Café, we knew there would be interest but we had no idea how much demand there would be for this sort of forum.
“The Menopause Cafés, and now the festival, have kickstarted some significant conversations about what can still be a taboo subject.”
She said: “Essentially, we are seeing a gradual shift in the mindset of both women and men, that this is a topic that affects us all and that deserves discussion instead of pretending it isn’t happening, or being ashamed to talk about it.
“Having got the ball rolling in Perth, we are now focusing on supporting others to do the same, whether with small community cafés or larger workplace events.”
Locals recently voted for the Menopause Café to receive more than £1,000 of funding as part of the council-run Perth Decides initiative.
The festival continues on Saturday, April 21, with a question-and-answer session hosted by Dr Laura Jarvis of the Tayside Menopause Clinic, followed by a sing-a-long with singer/songwriter Debra Salem.
The last session will take place on Saturday, May 12, and features an inspirational talk by personal and professional image specialist, Edith Adams.
Both events, which will be followed by a café, will be held at Perth Theatre from 2.15pm to 5.30pm.
When we organised the first ever Menopause Café, we knew there would be interest but we had no idea how much demand there would be for this sort of forum. RACHEL WEISS