Shining a spotlight on The Menopause Charity - Our ILX Group charity of the year

By ILX Team | 14 November 2023

Last year, through a range of fundraising activity including a hike up Mount Snowdon, a Tough Mudder and multiple bake sales, we were able to raise a total of £8,174 for our two focus charities, Cardiomyopathy UK and Don’t Lost Hope.

This year we’ve selected our new charity, The Menopause Charity, and are hoping to take these fundraising efforts to new heights.

What is The Menopause Charity? And what do they do?

Hoping to increase awareness around menopause and perimenopause, The Menopause Charity aims to educate people on this health condition so those experiencing it no longer feel so alone. The charity ensures that women going through the menopause understand what is happening, the potential mental and physical changes they may experience, and the steps they can take to get help if necessary.

Through this, the charity hopes to break down the stigma surrounding menopause and provide the information and resources needed to make sure that family, friends, co-workers, employers, and healthcare professionals can provide the appropriate support.

Why did we choose the Menopause Charity as our charity of the year?

The Menopause Charity was selected by a company vote after a nomination from a member of our sales team, who put forward the charity following an experience faced by his sister.

Nick said: “I nominated this charity because my sister recently went through an ovarian cancer scare. To eliminate the risk, she was advised by her medical team to have a complete hysterectomy… this was a traumatic experience in itself. But she’s also in her early 40s and has been immediately thrown into the menopause.”

Read Nick’s story in full.

The average age of women who experience the menopause is 45-55, but peri-menopausal symptoms can occur from mid-30s and sometimes even earlier. This means a significant proportion of the female population will experience menopause during their working life.

Research from menopause specialists, Health & Her, found that 10% of women leave the workforce due to menopause, with 1 in 4 considering leaving. With a workforce that is over 60% female, at ILX we wanted to ensure that our staff feel supported through this time and encourage them to speak out about their experiences.

Raising awareness is the first step to improving this process for all women, as our Sales Director, Sally Moore, said in this blog discussing her personal experience with menopause: "Calling all mums out there, talk to your children and partners so you can prepare your daughters so we can collectively make a change in society for the benefit of everyone.”

And we’re hoping to do just that with these fundraising efforts.