In partnership with West Forest Primary Care Network
Menopause support
Menopause is not only a physical change, it is an emotional and social one too. Our menopause support project helps women across the Forest of Dean understand what is happening, look after their mental health, and feel less alone through it.
A partnership project
This project is delivered in partnership with the West Forest Primary Care Network, bringing menopause support closer to the GP practices and communities that people already know and trust.
Free to attend · Forest of Dean & Wye Valley
Why this matters
More than a medical transition
The menopause and perimenopause can affect far more than the body. Alongside physical symptoms, many women experience anxiety, low mood, irritability, brain fog, disturbed sleep and a loss of confidence, often at the same time as pressures from work, caring roles and family life.
Too often this is faced in silence, or mistaken for something else entirely. Our project treats the emotional and social side of menopause as seriously as the physical, and gives women a supportive space to make sense of it together.
What women often tell us
- “I didn’t realise my anxiety and low mood could be linked to menopause.”
- “I felt dismissed, or wasn’t sure it was worth bothering my GP.”
- “Brain fog and poor sleep were affecting my work and confidence.”
- “I didn’t know what my options were, or who to ask.”
- “It helped just to know other people were going through the same thing.”
What we offer
Support shaped around real life
Practical, friendly support that sits alongside, and never replaces, the care people receive from their GP.
Menopause workshops
Welcoming two-hour workshops that explain what is happening during perimenopause and menopause, and how to look after your wellbeing through it.
Peer connection & group support
A chance to meet other women, share experiences and realise you are not alone, because connection and belonging are themselves powerful for mental health.
Information & signposting
Clear, balanced information about symptoms, self-care and treatment options, and help to have a confident conversation with your GP when you need one.
The next workshop
The Next Chapter: Navigating Midlife Together
A relaxed, two-hour workshop for you and your partner, because menopause is a change you go through together, not alone.
Midlife often brings a lot at once: menopause, busy careers, ageing parents and children growing up. This warm, welcoming session uses menopause as the starting point for a bigger conversation, understanding the changes together, staying close through them, and shaping what you want the years ahead to look like.
What to expect
- A plain-language look at the changes of perimenopause and menopause.
- How to keep communication and closeness strong through midlife.
- A guided conversation about your hopes for the next chapter.
- Simple, shared habits to take home.
Event details
Date
Saturday 14 November 2026
Time
10:30 to 12:30
Venue
The Main Place, Old Station Way, Coleford GL16 8RH
Cost
Free. Refreshments provided.
Booking
Email glicb.westforestofdean.pcn@nhs.net. Places are limited, so please reserve early.
Previous workshops
Menopause and Mental Health
5 September 2026
Nutrition and the Menopause
1 August 2026
Menopause: From Mystery to Mastery
28 February 2026
It is intended these workshops will be repeated via small peer groups in the new year.
Our approach
No woman should have to face menopause feeling dismissed or alone.
In keeping with everything we do, we treat the causes and the context, not only the symptoms:
- Connection and belonging as active support, not an afterthought
- Balanced information, so women can make their own informed choices
- Working alongside GPs and clinical care, never in place of it
Who it is for
Open to any woman who would benefit
Whether you are just starting to notice changes, are in the thick of it, or are supporting someone who is, you are welcome. You do not need a diagnosis or a referral to take part.
Health professionals across the West Forest Primary Care Network can also point patients our way as part of a joined-up approach to care.
Ways into the project
- Through your GP practice or a social prescribing link worker within West Forest PCN.
- A referral from a local agency, community partner, friend or family member.
- Refer yourself, simply get in touch and we will take it from there.
If you are referring on behalf of someone else, let us know in your message.
Take the first step
Come along to a workshop, ask a question, or refer someone you are working with. We meet people where they are.
Contact the Menopause support team at:
msp@wyedeanwellbeing.org.uk