Day: October 18, 2022

1 in 10 men think the menopause has no symptoms

Statement-making menopause board game launched to break the stigma

  • Intimate wellness brand INTIMINA has released Menopause: The Board Game, using play to raise awareness of the 40+ symptoms of the menopause
  • The game follows a study pointing to a clear lack of knowledge about the menopause – with one in 10 adults not knowing what the menopause entails
  • 13% of men think the menopause has no symptoms at all
  • INTIMINA has partnered with menopause wellbeing organisation, PositivePause to use the board game in workplace menopause training sessions
  • A limited initial batch will also be available directly. To register interest, email intimina@thisicow.com 

Forget about solving ‘whodunnit’ in the billiard room or playing at being a property tycoon. This year’s must-play – and possibly most important – board game is all about the menopause. That’s right, for the first time, the more than 40 symptoms of menopause have become the basis of a unique and thought-provoking board game. 

Menopause: The Board Game is launching to coincide with World Menopause Day (18th October) and was created by intimate wellness brand INTIMINA alongside gynaecology specialist GP Dr Susanna Unsworth to raise much-needed awareness of the menopause and tackle the taboo that surrounds it.

Appropriate for all ages, the board game will see players race from start to finish answering questions about the menopause along the way. Using uterus-shaped tokens, players will take it in turns to move across the game board – which resembles the changes in oestrogen levels during the menopause. Question cards will quiz players on the many and varied symptoms, with answers and explanations to help people learn as they play.

The board game comes as new research reveals more than one in 10 (12%) adults say they aren’t confident they know what the menopause is. This figure jumps to almost a fifth (17%) when looking specifically at men. What’s more, more than a third (34%) of people asked said they were unsure they knew what perimenopause is or what it entails.

INTIMINA’s research also showed the number of symptoms associated with the menopause is vastly underestimated. On average, respondents said there were 11 symptoms of the menopause, but the reality is there are more than 40. Worryingly, more than one in 10 (13%) men polled didn’t know the menopause had any symptoms at all. 

The startling lack of knowledge about the menopause is also behind a quarter (25%) of those surveyed believing that people are actually given medication to dissolve unused eggs once menopausal. One in seven (14%) also think you can’t have sex whilst going through the menopause. 

It is well-documented that people experiencing menopause need more support in the workplace. And over two thirds (68%) of those surveyed by INTIMINA agree that people should receive menopause sensitivity and awareness training at work.

With this in mind, INTIMINA has partnered, on the launch of its board game, with Positive Pause who provide no-nonsense information on their free to access menopause platform and deliver dynamic, online workplace training sessions. PositivePause will be using Menopause: The Board Game in upcoming training sessions and events. 

Justine Pescher, spokesperson for INTIMINA comments: “The menopause is something that affects around half the population, yet there isn’t enough education and open dialogue surrounding it which leads to misinformation and a lack of sensitivity for those going through it.

“Our research showed only 13% are taught about it at school and it’s widely agreed that it should be a topic discussed as part of workplace training. That’s why we’ve crated Menopause: The Board Game, a game that not only teaches players about the menopause but also encourages conversations in normal, everyday settings.”

Gynaecology Specialist for INTIMINA, Dr Susanna Unsworth, adds: “It’s clear there is a lot of misunderstanding when it comes to the menopause and its symptoms, amongst both men and women.

“I’m delighted that INTIMINA created Menopause: The Board Game as a tool to raise awareness and knowledge about a staggeringly overlooked and misunderstood process. I look forward to seeing it kick-start conversations this World Menopause Day and beyond.”

Ann Stephens, co-founder of PositivePause says: “All women and some members of the trans and non-binary community are guaranteed to go through menopause yet most lack basic awareness of the signs and symptoms.

“Many fail to join the dots as they begin to experience the impact of fluctuating hormones in perimenopause. Opening up the conversation brings menopause out of the shadows. By normalising what is all too often perceived as a negative process, it can be turned into a positive.

“The better informed we all are, the better it is for everyone, benefiting women’s health, relationships, and employment. As we like to say, ‘menopause is not about the time of the month, it’s about having the time of your life!’. 

“Menopause: The Board Game is a genius concept for getting the topic of menopause into the workplace, making it positive, interactive, educational and a lot less scary.”

INTIMINA is also offering 15% off its Kegel exerciser, KegelSmart for Menopause Week (from 17th October to 23rd October). Hormonal changes during the menopause can impact pelvic floor, and Kegel exercises can help strengthen it, leading to improved bladder control, vaginal tightness, and sexual sensations.

In addition to board games distributed to PositivePause, a limited initial batch will be available from INTIMINA. To register interest please email intimina@thisiscow.com 

Making Thyme

MEN’S COOKING CLUB at PILTON COMMUNITY HEALTH PROJECT

We’re getting ready to launch a new Cooking Club for men!!!

Making Thyme will take place each week on Tuesdays 1-3pm from our kitchen at #PCHP. This is an informal and fun cooking club open to all men. Whether you’re keen to share your passion for cooking with others or interested in learning new skills and socializing, please sign up!

All the info is on the poster, or you can register directly via the link below:

https://forms.office.com/r/wfu3e598rC

We hope to begin this group on Tuesday the 8th of November so stay tuned for more info. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Hope to see you there!

#menshealth

#menwhocook

#community

#eatwell

LIFT’s Haunted House

This year we are doing something a little different, we are hosting our own Haunted House!

This even will run over the course of two nights, Thursday 27th and Friday 28th October! The event will start at 5pm but spaces will be limited!

If you would like to come along it is £2 per family, all kids must be accompanied by an adult! Feel free to get the kids all dressed up

Counting Leaves: pop up photography exhibition at granton:hub

THIS weekend, opening Friday evening 21 October, we welcome a group show featuring photographers Kat Gollock, Zoe Hamill and Erin Semple who use their work to explore the landscape around us and the spaces we inhabit both individually and collectively.

Whilst varied in approach, these three artists are unified in making work that helps to better understand how we as humans engage with the landscapes we find ourselves in.

Their work explores how landscape moulds and shapes who we are and tries to make sense of the emotional narratives that the sense of place nurtures within us all.

Join Halloween Fest … if you dare!

Our Halloween Fest is drawing ever closer!

We’ll be at Granton Community Gardeners on Monday the 31st from 3-6pm and boy oh boy do we have a treat (or trick) in store for you!!!

Pop down for a cup of seasonal soup, get your face painted, and join in with some of our spooky activities.

All are welcome, so get yourself down to Granton Community Garden and have the fright of your life! 🎃👻🍁🍂

Councils and Trade Unions unite to oppose National Care Service Plans

Local Government trade unions Unison and Unite have joined with council representative body COSLA today (Wednesday 11th October) to call on the Scottish Government to reverse centralisation plans which would remove up to 75,000 staff from local authorities.

The Scottish Government’s draft National Care Service legislation, currently before Parliament, would see a large proportion of local authority staff, functions and assets transferred to a national structure overseen by Scottish Government Ministers.

These plans have left council staff, not only in social work and social care, uncertain over their future employer, their terms and conditions and their pay. These uncertainties risk years of disruption rather than contributing to service improvements.

COSLA and Local Government trade unions share concerns that the Scottish Government’s Bill would have a serious impact on the future of local democracy and the viability of Local Government in Scotland, with the legislation empowering Scottish Ministers to create and direct unaccountable local care boards to deliver services.

Both Local Government employers’ organisation COSLA and trade unions representing council staff oppose the Scottish Government’s centralising approach and have called for current plans to be redrawn ensuring local democratic accountability and the needs of local communities are at the heart of them.

Councillor Paul Kelly, COSLA Health and Social Care Spokesperson said: “Instead of investing to improve care services now, the Scottish Government are choosing to prioritise unnecessary expensive structural reform which will disrupt services, staff and our communities who rely on support.

“Local Government staff across social care, social work and community health have gone above and beyond to support local people over the past few years and are now faced with the added uncertainty that comes with these Scottish Government proposals.

“COSLA will continue to work with our trade union partners to support our staff across local authorities and stand committed to making improvements to services now.”

Tracey Dalling, UNISON Scotland Regional Secretary said: “The National Care Service plans leave tens of thousands of staff, not just in Local Government but across many public services, uncertain about the future of their jobs and their pensions.

“What is certain though, is that if the Scottish Government passes its legislation councils will be hugely reduced, both as democratic institutions and as employers. The outsourcing of jobs to the national care service, will be followed by jobs going in areas like IT, finance, facilities management and others.”

Wendy Dunsmore, Unite Industrial Officer said: “The Scottish Government’s proposals represent the biggest power grab in the era of devolution. Ministers will be able to unilaterally decide what services are to be delivered nationally or locally which is the direct opposite of local democratic accountability.

“There remains next to no detail on major elements of the National Care Service proposals including how local and special care bodies will work independently, and with each other, and crucially what this in reality means for the workforce.

“It’s counterproductive and an unnecessary waste of resources to introduce a process whereby we make local authorities a ’contractor’ for a service they already currently provide when money can be put into frontline services. Unite has been severely worried about the emerging framework surrounding the National Care Service and we have had every right to be.”

Recycle Week at Fort Kinnaird

5 WAYS YOU CAN RECYCLE AT FORT KINNAIRD

This week (Monday 17th – Sunday 23rd October) is Recycle Week – an annual event that celebrates recycling across the nation with the aim to get more people recycling more of the right things, more often.

To mark it, Fort Kinnaird is sharing five different ways you can recycle at the centre, from clothes and shoes to pet food and beauty packaging – sometimes with the chance to receive vouchers in return.

Liam Smith, centre director at Fort Kinnaird, said: “Supporting the community is extremely important to us at Fort Kinnaird, and doing our bit for the environment is a huge part of that.

“As a centre, we are committed to working towards a more sustainable future and we want to encourage our visitors to do the same. We hope by highlighting these great initiatives offered by our retailers we help to make recycling even easier for local shoppers – not just during this week, but beyond that too.”

Here are five recycling schemes you can make the most of at Fort Kinnaird this Recycle Week: 

  1. H&M

Through H&M’s Garment Collecting programme, you can take any unwanted clothes or textiles – from any brand and in any condition – to their store at Fort Kinnaird and receive a £5 digital voucher to use on your next purchase, as well as earn 20 ‘Conscious Points’ as part of its loyalty scheme.

Old garments are either marketed as second-hand clothing or recycled into something new entirely.

  1. schuh

Schuh’s ‘Sell Your Soles’ scheme offers customers £5 towards a new pair of shoes when they bring their old, worn pairs into store. The schuh Kids store at Fort Kinnaird also offers the same discount as part of its ‘Too Big For Your Boots’ initiative when taking in an old pair of shoes that no longer fit. 

  1. Pets at Home

At the Pets at Home store at Fort Kinnaird, pet owners can recycle old, rinsed food pouches from any brand that are made from a flexible plastic. These can be a struggle to recycle at home but, with the Pets at Home scheme, the pouches go through a specially designed process which heats the plastic, turning it back into an oil and separating the aluminium – which can then be made back into new products.

  1. M&S

The ‘Plastic Recycling Scheme’ from M&S helps customers to recycle plastic from any product in-store, regardless of whether it is an M&S product.

Carrier bags, food wrappers and packaging from clothing multipacks are just some of the items which can be recycled at the Fort Kinnaird store and are difficult to do so at home.

  1. Boots

The ‘Recycle at Boots’ scheme is aimed at hard-to-recycle beauty, healthcare and wellness products that cannot be put in recycling bins at home. Usually this is because they are too small (travel minis, mascaras), made of composite materials (make-up palettes, lipsticks) or made from non-recyclable materials (toothpaste tubes, lotion pumps).

Shoppers at Fort Kinnaird can gain up to 500 Boots Advantage Card points when they participate, which is equivalent to £5 to spend in store.

  1. The Leith Collective

The recently opened Leith Collective store at Fort Kinnaird is running a ‘coat exchange’ where you can donate your old winter and waterproof coats. These will then be made available for collection at no cost for those who need them this winter.

Police Scotland launches new THAT GUY sex crime prevention campaign

Be a mate, don’t be THAT GUY

Men are being challenged to be a mate, to step in and put a stop to behaviour that might put their friends at risk of sexual offending.

Last year, Police Scotland’s viral THAT GUY campaign challenged men’s attitudes and behaviour towards women. It put the cause of sexual offending where it belongs – with men.

This year’s campaign, launched yesterday, urges men to be the solution to preventing sexual offending by having those difficult conversations with a friend who may have crossed the line.

Launching the campaign Deputy Chief Constable Malcolm Graham, Police Scotland, said: “Last year’s campaign asked men to reflect on their own behaviours and attitudes – and those of their friends, family and colleagues – towards women, to prevent rape, sexual assault and harassment.

“We held up the mirror to harassing and abusive behaviours that impact on women. Now we are focusing on a solution.

“Our new campaign is about what men can do. It asks them to think about the impact their friend’s behaviour has on women, and to step in, to be that friend. Be the mate who takes a friend aside, and has that quiet word. It’s about stopping a friend doing something they will regret.

“Of course not all men go on to offend but all men have a responsibility and a role to play in ending sexual violence against women and girls.

“This isn’t about shaming. We are asking men to be a mate, look out for your friends, to join the conversation and to stop sexual offending before it starts.”

THAT GUY builds on previous Police Scotland sexual crime prevention campaigns, targeting men aged 18 – 35 years who are most likely to commit sexual offences.

Its aim is to urge men to take responsibility for their actions and language to help effect a culture change to tackle sexual crime against women.

The campaign features a new advert which will run on several online platforms, including social media.

Watch the new THAT GUY video here

Visit the THAT GUY website for advice and resources

CRISIS: Chancellor’s Statement to the House of Commons, 17th October

Mr Speaker,

The central responsibility of any government is to do what is necessary for economic stability.

Behind the decisions we take and the issues on which we vote are jobs families depend on, mortgages that have to be paid, savings for pensioners, and businesses investing for the future.

We are a country that funds our promises and pays our debts.

And when that is questioned, as it has been, this government will take the difficult decisions necessary to ensure there is trust and confidence in our national finances.

That means decisions of eye-watering difficulty.

But I give the House and the public this assurance: every single one of those decisions…

…whether reductions in spending or increases in tax, will prioritise the needs of the most vulnerable.

That is why I pay tribute to my predecessors for the Energy Price Guarantee, for the furlough scheme…

…and indeed for even earlier decisions to protect the NHS budget in a period when other budgets were being cut.

Mr Speaker, I want to be completely frank about the scale of the economic challenges we face.

We have had short term difficulties caused by the lack of an OBR forecast alongside the mini-budget…

…but there are also inflationary and interest pressures around the world.

Russia’s unforgivable invasion of Ukraine has caused energy and food prices to spike.

We cannot control what is happening in the rest of the world, but when the interests of economic stability mean the government needs to change course, we will do so – and that is what I have come to the House to announce today.

In my first few days in this job, I’ve held extensive discussions with the Prime Minister, Cabinet colleagues, the Governor of the Bank of England, the OBR, the head of the Debt Management Office, Treasury officials, and many others.

The conclusion I have drawn from those conversations is that we need to do more, more quickly, to give certainty to the markets about our fiscal plans.

And show through action, not just words, that the United Kingdom can and always will pay our way in the world.

We have therefore decided to make further changes to the mini budget immediately, rather than waiting until the Medium-Term Fiscal Plan in two weeks’ time, in order to reduce unhelpful speculation about those plans.

Mr Speaker I am very grateful for your agreement on the need to give the markets an early, brief summary this morning, but I welcome the opportunity to give the House details of the decisions now.

We have decided on the following changes to support confidence and stability.

Firstly, the Prime Minister and I agreed yesterday to reverse almost all the tax measures announced in the Growth Plan three weeks ago that have not been legislated for in Parliament.

So we will continue with the abolition of the Health and Social Care Levy, changes to Stamp Duty, the increase in the Annual Investment Allowance to £1 million, and the wider reforms to investment taxes.

But we will no longer be proceeding with:

The cut to dividend tax rates, saving around £1 billion a year.

The reversal of the off-payroll working reforms introduced in 2017 and 2021, saving around £2 billion a year.

The new VAT-free shopping scheme for non-UK visitors, saving a further £2 billion a year.

Or the freeze to alcohol duty rates, saving around £600 million a year.

I will provide further details on how those rates will be uprated, shortly.

Second, the Government is currently committed to cutting the basic rate of income tax to 19% in April of 2023.

This government believes that people should keep more of the money they earn, which is why we have continued with the abolition of the Health and Social Care Levy.

But at a time when markets are asking serious questions about our commitment to sound public finances, we cannot afford a permanent, discretionary increase in borrowing worth £6 billion a year.

So I have decided that the basic rate of income tax will remain at 20% – and it will do so indefinitely, until economic circumstances allow for it to be cut.

Taken together with the decision not to cut Corporation Tax, and restoring the top rate of income tax, the measures I’ve announced today will raise around £32 billion every year.

The third step I’m taking today, Mr Speaker, is to review the Energy Price Guarantee.

This was the biggest single expense in the Growth Plan and one of the most generous schemes in the world.

It is a landmark policy for which I pay tribute to my predecessor.

It will support millions of people through a difficult winter and will reduce inflation by up to 5%.

So I confirm today that the support we are providing between now and April next year will not change.

But beyond next April, the Prime Minister and I have agreed it would not be responsible to continue exposing the public finances to unlimited volatility in international gas prices.

So I am announcing today a Treasury-led review into how we support energy bills beyond April next year.

The review’s objective is to design a new approach that will cost the taxpayer significantly less than planned whilst ensuring enough support for those in need.

Any support for businesses will be targeted to those most affected. And the new approach will better incentivise energy efficiency.

There remain many difficult decisions to be announced in the Medium-Term Fiscal Plan on October 31st …

…when I confirm that we will publish a credible, transparent, fully costed plan to get debt falling as a share of the economy over the medium term…

…based on the judgement and economic forecasts of the independent Office for Budget Responsibility.

I would like to thank the OBR, whose director Richard Hughes I met this morning, and the Bank of England whose Governor Andrew Bailey I have now met twice.

I fully support the vital, independent roles both institutions play, which give markets, the public, and the world confidence that our economic plans are credible, and rightly hold us to account for delivering them.

But I want some more independent, expert advice as I start my journey as Chancellor.

So I am announcing today the formation of a new Economic Advisory Council to do just that.

The Council will advise the government on economic policy with the first four names announced today:

  • Rupert Harrison, former Chief of Staff to the Chancellor of the Exchequer,
  • Gertjan Vlieghe, Element Capital
  • Sushil Wadhwani, Wadhwani Asset Management
  • Karen Ward, J. P. Morgan

Mr Speaker,

We remain completely committed to our mission to go for growth, but growth requires confidence and stability – which is why we are taking many difficult decisions, starting today.

But while we do need realism about the challenges ahead, we must never fall into the trap of pessimism.

Despite all the adversity and challenge we face, there is enormous potential in this country.

We have some of the most talented people in the world.

Three of the world’s top ten best universities.

The most tech unicorns in Europe.

One of the world’s great financial centres.

Incredible strengths in the creative industries…

…in science, research, engineering, manufacturing, and innovation.

All that gives me genuine optimism about our long-term prospects for growth.

But to achieve that, it’s vital that we act now to create the stability on which future generations can build.

The reason the United Kingdom has always succeeded is because at big and difficult moments we have taken tough and difficult decisions in the long-term interests of the country. That is what will we now do.

And I commend this statement to the House.

Hunt statement fails to undo damage to families and businesses and leaves more uncertainty, says TUC

Commenting on the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s fiscal statement), TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “The Conservatives drove the UK economy over a cliff. Hunt slamming the gears into reverse now won’t help families and businesses already hit by soaring borrowing costs.

“People needed reassurances today. Instead, they got more uncertainty – about energy bills, about our public services, and about whether universal credit and benefits will rise with inflation.

“We are now on the brink of a deep and damaging recession that threatens millions of jobs. But the latest Conservative Chancellor still has the same basic approach that got us into this mess.

“The Chancellor should have announced a boost to universal credit and pensions, and a comprehensive plan to get wages rising faster for everyone. And he should have announced a much higher windfall tax on oil and gas giants.”

On the announcement of a review of support for families and businesses with energy costs beyond April 2023, she added:

“Families and businesses now face months of worry. There is going to be less help with bills – but no-one knows who will lose out, by how much, or whether there will finally be a programme to fix Britain’s cold and draughty homes. This is not the reassurance working families need.”