An owner of a newly opened community coffee shop with a wellbeing twist, is fighting the menopause stigma with her new monthly classes.

Nicky Gillon first opened Self to offer something more to people, after successfully running We Are The Kitchen in Westhoughton for five years.

She says that she wanted people to be able to talk freely about menopause in a safe space without it being too uncomfortable to talk about.

She added: “It's okay to talk about menopause and all that comes pre, present and post menopause.

“I want women to be able to connect through stories, tips, and information with likeminded women.

“Every single woman will go through it, so I want us to be able to address the different situations and to travel through it.

The Bolton News: Nicky celebrating during launch nightNicky celebrating during launch night (Image: Public)

“These classes are to give women a safe space to speak about anything they want to speak about, and to make it so it isn’t taboo anymore.”

At age 41, Nicky says she is a few years away from perimenopausal, which she says is often met with fear.

She added: “Hormone replacement therapy for example has helped millions of women.

“We should be able to talk openly without any judgement or trauma to address the different experiences of women.”

Nicky shared that when her friend first experienced perimenopause, she was told by her doctor that she was putting on weight, and recommended she go on anti-depressants because she was “a bit emotional”.

Nicky added: “There are some GPs in the know but there are also GP’s that need to know more, which is why it’s important for us to have this space to discuss our symptoms so we can fight for what we need.”

The second class will take place today Thursday October 13 from 6pm and it will lead into next months’ session where there will be a Q&A on menopause with Dr Hall, who Nicky calls ‘the menopause queen’ and Dr Matter from Peter House surgery.

She added: “This will be a couple of hours where GPs will share their perspectives, which will be a monthly drop-in class.”

Nicky says that since opening her wellness café she has been amazed with how well it is doing and she loves that people keep coming back.

She added: “Doing these classes and running the cafe means so much to me, especially that people can come on their own and with friends.

“It’s a really nice, and beautiful space.”

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