Overwhelming turnout for new Harrogate menopause group

A new Harrogate menopause support group is set to hold a bigger event next week following the huge success of its launch.

Set up by Vic Smith-Dunn through her social enterprise MyLifePool, the group met for the first time at Oatlands Community Centre last month.

Due to demand, the next event, entitled Menopause Matters, will have an increased capacity of 150 and will take place at the Crowne Plaza hotel at 7.30pm on Tuesday, July 5.

It will feature a talk by Dr Sarah Hattam, a local GP and founder of wellbeing and performance consultancy Concilio Health.

She will cover the physiological aspects of menopause, along with ways to help stay healthy and understand more about hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and other options that are available. She will also be sharing how to get the most out of a GP appointment.

Ms Smith-Dunn said:

“At the launch we gathered lots of feedback. We discovered people were struggling to understand what exactly was happening to them, and what their options were, along with wanting to understand more about HRT. I was really keen to address this issue.

“Sarah is kindly donating her time. This means that profits from ticket sales can be donated to local charity Just B, which runs a helpline that is accessible to women who may be struggling through this change.

“Sadly, at our launch event we had to turn so many people away as the venue was too small. Thankfully for this event the Crowne Plaza, on King’s Road, has offered the use of a much larger space so we can accommodate more people.”

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Ms Smith-Dunn explained that as well as providing “good quality information”, the events also offered an opportunity to socialise.

She added:

“So many women going through the menopausal period are also ‘empty nesters’, which brings its own challenges.

“Friendship and peer support is so important for our mental well-being and having an opportunity to spend an evening with like-minded people is so valuable.”

Tickets costing £4 are available to book here.

For more information about the group, visit the MeNoPause website.

Daring abseil at Harrogate hotel raises £16,000 for cat charity

Around 70 volunteers took on a daring abseil down Harrogate’s Crowne Plaza Hotel today to raise money for Yorkshire Cat Rescue.

The event, which was delayed because of coronavirus, took place today between 10am and 4.30pm.

So far the abseil has raised more than £16,000 for the charity, which will use the money to rescue more cats, food, vet bills and shelter.

With so many people taking part and restrictions still in place, the fearless participants were spaced apart in groups of three.

It was a rather damp start to the morning but with little wind, the event could still go ahead.

Jo Beverley, one of the event organisers, told the Stray Ferret:

“It’s huge, that amount of money. Obviously with coronavirus we have been really hit hard in terms of getting cats out to new homes and fundraising.

“So it has been really, really difficult. This just means that we can help more. The more money we have coming in, the more cats we can help.

“This event has been a long time coming. We have had delays after delays but we are here and we are doing it, this is fabulous.”

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This isn’t the first daring exploit run by the charity; last year it held a ‘firewalk’ in Skipton where participants walked over burning coals.

Yorkshire Cat Rescue has been taking in unwanted cats and kittens and giving them homes for nearly 20 years. As an independent charity, it relies on fundraising to keep going.

Charlie Lovatt, who was dressed as Spiderman and the first to take on the challenge, told the Stray Ferret:

“If you are going to go down a building, you need to do it in style. It just felt necessary, I bought the Spiderman outfit for the occasion.

“It was alright, I have abseiled before. But it was quite high and it went really quick.”

Dan Howard, who has hosted pub quizzes for Yorkshire Cat Rescue over the last year was also roped in for the abseil. He told the Stray Ferret:

“It was really fun. The hardest thing was getting over the edge. Once you feel the rope has you it feels a bit more comfortable and you can have more fun with it.

“I started getting involved with the charity in the first lockdown. Through the quizzes alone we raised about £5,000.”

Final volunteer call for cat charity Harrogate hotel abseil

Yorkshire Cat Rescue is calling for final volunteers to abseil down Harrogate’s Crowne Plaza Hotel in a daring fundraiser.

There are six slots left for those willing to take the plunge on the 3rd of July. The spaces were previously filled but due to a handful of last-minute dropouts there is space left for those wanting to sign up.

The abseil scales 140 feet and those taking part will be trained on the day by professionals.

Participants will need to pay a registration fee of £25 and are also asked to raise a minimum of £100 for the charity.

So far the charity has managed to raise more than £10,000 through the event but are aiming to reach £15,000 in the final few weeks.

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This isn’t the first daring exploit run by the charity; last year it held a ‘firewalk’ in Skipton where participants walked over burning coals.

Yorkshire Cat Rescue has been taking in unwanted cats and kittens and giving them homes for nearly 20 years. As an independent charity, it relies on fundraising to keep going.

The money it raises will go towards rescuing more cats, food, vet bills and shelter.

Would you abseil off the Crowne Plaza hotel?

Daredevils are needed to abseil off the 140-foot Crowne Plaza hotel in Harrogate to raise money for Yorkshire Cat Rescue.

The charity needs 15 brave volunteers to take the plunge off the top of the building, located next to the conference centre, on July 3rd.

Volunteers will need to raise at least £100 for the charity, which takes in and rehomes unwanted cats and kittens. The money will be used to pay for food and vet bills.

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Volunteers will get kitted out at the top of the hotel by trained staff, before lowering themselves down the side and back up at their own pace.

Yorkshire Cat Rescue, based in Keighley, found homes for 557 cats last year, and spent more than £100,000 on vet bills.

This is the charity’s second extreme stunt to raise money, after March 2020 saw volunteers walk on hot coals in a fundraising firewalk.