First-ever ‘menopause café’ to be held locally a huge success

Fitness coach Jill McKelvey addressing a packed audience at the Belmont Hotel.

BANBRIDGE’s first-ever ‘menopause café’ was held at the Belmont Hotel last Thursday evening, and such was the demand for the initiative that the room was fully booked out – as a result, the organisers are planning to book a bigger room next time!

The evening had several aims, however its chief message was that women are not alone on their menopause journey, that they should not go through it in silence, and that there are valuable health tips and support organisations that can make all the difference.

The event had been organised by Banbridge lady Kelly Loughran, from Summerhill, along with her friend, Jill McKelvey, who is a health coach and the proprietor of ‘Jill’s Fitness’ in Dromore.

The keynote speaker was Lauren McComiskey, a qualified reflexologist who runs Scarva practice ‘Centred Sole Reflexology’.

From left: Lauren McComiskey, Centred Sole Reflexology; Jill McKelvey, Jill's Fitness; Kelly Loughran, event organiser.

Clearly overwhelmed by the success of last Thursday’s ‘menopause café’ event, Kelly commented: “When Jill and I got together with the idea of a menopause café, we never expected the response we have had to the event. It’s a subject we are both very passionate about.

"We decided we wanted a warm and welcoming venue – somewhere local where everyone would feel comfortable – and the Belmont Hotel came to mind.

"Within a few weeks the event had sold out, through a lot of promotion from ourselves and others, including local councillor, Joy Ferguson.

"We really felt that a guest speaker would be a good addition on the night, and we were delighted that Lauren McComiskey, from Centred Sole Reflexology, accepted our invitation to come along.

The organisers of Banbridge's first-ever menopause café had a full house at the Belmont Hotel last Thursday evening.

"Lauren is very knowledgeable on this issue, and it was such a relief for the ladies in attendance to know that they are not alone.

"The evening, we feel, went so much better than expected. The women who had come along were so grateful that such an event had been organised locally, and so many ladies now want us to plan another meeting.

"We want to give other ladies a chance to come along next time, so we have booked a bigger suite to accommodate everybody.

"If any local business would like to sponsor our next event, to cover our costs, that would be amazing.

Lauren McComiskey, from 'Centred Sole Reflexology', spoke on the theme of 'Reflexology & the Menopause'.

"Any additional money raised will go to ‘Menopause Support Group NI’, set up by the lovely Roisin Hillman.

"We honestly can’t thank everyone enough for coming along last Thursday, and we look forward to our next meeting with the lovely Catherine Downey, from Dromore – aka ‘The Sporty Dietitian’ – as guest speaker."

Kelly explained that she had been particularly impressed by Lauren McComiskey’s keynote address on the life-enhancing power of reflexology for women going through the menopause.

She told the Chronicle: “I have already made a New Year’s resolution – I for one will be booking regular reflexology appointments!”