What We’ve Been Up To In March

With International Women’s Day, Autoimmune Awareness Month, and Endometriosis Action Month all taking place in March, you may well have encountered FTWW staff and volunteers at a wide array of events this month, where we’ve been raising awareness of all things female health…

North Wales International Women’s Day Conference: On 4th March, FTWW staff and volunteers joined a packed event of 400 attendees at Bangor University to talk about the power of the patient voice, and next steps for the soon-to-open Women’s Health Hub in Llandudno, north Wales.

WCVA Human Rights & International Women’s Day Event: On 9th March, FTWW’s Isabel presented at WCVA’s Human Rights and International Women’s Day event the ways that women’s health issues can sometimes be barriers to progression in the workplace, and how employers can support their staff.

All-Wales Reproductive Health Research Event: Friday 13th March saw us at Sofia Gardens in Cardiff alongside 100 reproductive healthcare professionals from every health board in Wales where we talked about the importance of including disabled women in obstetric & gynae research and service design.

Y Farchnad at The Senedd: We were pleased to visit Cardiff Bay on Wednesday 18 March to meet Members of the Senedd, where we discussed our Manifesto, ‘Our Right to Health and Wellbeing in Wales’, which was coproduced with FTWW Members. The Manifesto sets out current issues facing female healthcare in Wales and our calls to the next Welsh Government on how to address them. Our huge thanks to Sioned Williams MS for sponsoring the event, and to FTWW Members who wrote to their MSes asking them to meet with us!

Inaugural meeting of External Advisory Board for Welsh Government’s Disabled People’s Rights Plan: FTWW’s Debbie and trustee, Willow attended on 23rd March and will continue to support implementation of the intersectional rights and needs of disabled people, including to health and healthcare.

Systems Change!: March 24th found FTWW staff working with Public Health Wales to deliver workshops to Betsi Cadwaladr and Cwm Taf Morgannwg health boards on gender equity in service planning and delivery.

Also on March 24th, FTWW’s Debbie and Isabel joined more than 120 Welsh Government staff and the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Jane Hutt MS, to discuss ‘Tackling Workplace Inequities: Women’s Health and Wellbeing’ for Endometriosis Awareness Month.

International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month at Cardiff Student Union: FTWW’s Louise joined other organisations, initiatives, and individuals doing important work around women’s activism, rights and inclusion on 16th March, providing health-related information and resources to attendees.

Chronic Women:  Held at the Senedd on 17th March, ‘Chronic Women’ aims to hear the voices of women in Wales who live with chronic conditions through poetry. FTWW’s Louise joined the audience to hear some of Wales’s leading poets reading their work from the new ‘Chronic Women’ anthology.