First-ever women’s health event to be held in Suffolk

A pioneering pair are on a mission to transform women’s health care by bringing the first-ever women’s health conference to Suffolk in 2025.

The groundbreaking event, aptly named “Let’s Talk Women’s Health”, seeks to tackle taboos and end the ignorance around women’s health conditions through a series of sessions delivered by clinical specialists, with the aim of empowering people to better understand their own bodies.

“Let’s Talk Women’s Health” will be the first event of its kind in Suffolk and will cover an extensive range of women’s health issues, offering expert-led talks and interactive workshops on menopause, breast cancer, skin cancer, endometriosis, fertility, reproductive health, pelvic health, periods, contraception, cervical screening, mental wellbeing, and more.

Taking place at The Hold, in Ipswich, on Saturday, March 22, the event will be open to the public via pre-booked tickets and will follow a flexible festival-style format where guests can pick and choose which sessions they’d like to attend throughout the day.

Organisers Jen Evans and Katie Winearls say that “there is a desperate need for a better understanding of women’s health”, which is where the inspiration for event originated from.

Mrs Evans, from Ipswich, works as a soft tissue therapist and menopause advisor, and says that her own experiences opened a “Pandora’s box of women’s health conditions”.

She said: “In my early 40s, I had symptoms of what I now know to be perimenopause, which led to the opening of a Pandora’s box of women’s health conditions that, even as a woman, I didn’t know much about.

“The incredible women around us are managing these conditions day in, day out, without ever talking about it. This is what has inspired me to create an event where everyone can come and learn about the conditions that are affecting us and the people we care about.

“If a friend, colleague or family member is suffering, then I want there to be an educational resource to allow others to learn about the condition and support that person through their journey.”

“Let’s Talk Women’s Health” is a brand new not-for-profit initiative which has seen Suffolk’s community spirit come out in force; having been funded and supported by a number of local businesses, such as Nuffield Health Ipswich Hospital and Ascender Creative, plus key sponsors MSC and Active Suffolk’s “This Girl Can” project.

Katie Winearls, from Ipswich, is a healthcare account manager at Nuffield Health Ipswich Hospital, and plays an active role in the hospital’s community outreach projects.

“At Nuffield Health, we hold regular events for clinicians and members of the public, all of which have highlighted the desperate need for a better understanding of women’s health concerns,” she said.

“It has become glaringly obvious that, as women, we often have very little understanding of our own bodies until we are already in the depths of a change or health concern.

“We should not have to resort to unreliable or antiquated information online to get the answers we need.”

Ms Winearls says that everyone should be included in the conversation when it comes to women’s health – not just those who identify as female.

“Either directly or indirectly, people of all genders and backgrounds will experience the ripple effect of women’s health issues, which is why, when we started planning ‘Let’s Talk Women’s Health’, we wanted to ensure that it wasn’t only aimed at women,” she adds.

“Put simply, this event is for everybody and anybody – it’s for partners, fathers, brothers, friends, colleagues, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and anyone who knows a woman with a chronic condition. It’s for anyone who wants to know how to better support the women in their lives.”

The announcement of “Let’s Talk Women’s Health” comes after a flurry of national media stories highlighting the severe delays within gynaecological care in the UK, with a recent report revealing that gynaecology waiting lists now exceed 763,000 women — enough to fill Wembley Stadium more than eight times over.

Woodbridge resident Amy Peckham-Driver is a listed speaker and marketing lead for “Let’s Talk Women’s Health”, and says she’s all too familiar with the struggle of being stuck on lengthy waiting lists.

Ms Peckham-Driver, who will be sharing her journey with endometriosis at the event, said: “Almost every woman I know can tell a worrying tale of being dismissed by a medical professional at some point in their lives.

“It took over a decade for me to be diagnosed with endometriosis, despite having glaringly obvious symptoms from day one, and despite repeated pleas for help during that time.

“In my opinion, this isn’t a coincidence – there’s a dangerous mix of medical misogyny and deep-seated systemic ignorance at play here, which is prolonging the suffering of millions of women and stopping them from accessing the care they need.

“The road to diagnosis for me was long and agonising, and at times I truly couldn’t see myself coming out the other side. No woman should ever be left in so much pain that they can’t live a normal life, and they should never, under any circumstances, be told that this level of pain is normal.

“That’s why events like this one are so vitally important; it’s an opportunity to educate people on what’s normal and what’s not, but also to allow women to share their personal experiences and to have those conversations in a safe space. It’s not just about those coming to listen, but about those who desperately need to be heard.”

Dr Julie Kite, a menopause specialist at Nuffield Health Ipswich Hospital and locum GP, will be delivering a session on managing menopause at the event, and says that more work needs to be done to make women’s healthcare a priority.

“As women we go through lots of different stages in our lives, all of which have health and wellbeing implications,” she said.

“Being able to openly discuss the different concerns, experiences and challenges along the way is so important, and I’m so pleased that things are beginning to change. Being empowered to look after ourselves begins with talking and accessing really good, reliable information.

“With the NHS being under more strain than ever before, we live in a very challenging times with competing priorities. There remains so much more work to be done to make women’s healthcare a priority and accessible to all.

“But it’s not just women who need to be able to talk about these things; it’s the men in our lives, as well as employers and government, who have a responsibility to get on board with changing society’s attitudes. I really hope that our daughters get to enjoy a society and healthcare system where that is true.”

Tickets for “Let’s Talk Women’s Health” are limited and are now available at https://LTWH.eventbrite.com