Women's Health Café dates for 2023/24

The Women@Reading staff Network is pleased to confirm that its Women’s Health Cafés will be continuing this academic year.

The first of the monthly cafes for 2023/24 takes place on Tuesday 12 September from 12:00-13:30 in the Library Café on Whiteknights campus.

The aim of the café is to create a space for people to come together to talk, share stories and support each other.

Facilitated by network members, this also helps us to better understand the issues that people are facing and signpost them for further support to meet their needs.

The cafe is primarily aimed at women, however other members of the University community are welcome to also come along to develop their awareness of women’s health topics, how they may impact women in the workplace and to enable the café community to be there for those who may be supporting a partner, family member, friend and/or work colleague with a particular health-related event.

There is no agenda for discussion, and a range of topics have been discussed at previous cafés relating to women’s health:

• peri-menopause/menopause, periods and other menstrual health conditions;
• experiences of going through IVF treatment;
• caring responsibilities for children, parents and dependents who have disabilities;
• experiences of cancer, including having cancer and also supporting loved ones and friends going through treatment

Colleagues attending the cafes have provided the Network with suggestions for things they feel would improve their working lives, and these will be raised with University management to see if they can be actioned.

The Network will continue to offer a 50% discount on your first drink. A voucher will be given to you when you arrive at the café for you to use to purchase a drink.

Dates of cafes for this academic year can be found on the staff network webpage and there is further information and some FAQs on the Women’s Health channel on the Microsoft Teams.

Anyone interested in helping to facilitate a café and/or set up a café at either London Road or Greenlands campuses can contact Rachel Thorns (Chair of the Women’s Network).