High Peak women's health campaign to hold online Christmas raffle in aid of pioneering clinic

Maddy Howarth, 26, and supporters of ‘Let's Change It. Period.’ will be launching the Christmas countdown draw on Wednesday, December 1, and announcing a fantastic new prize each day until the grand giveaway on December 20.

Entrants could win three nights in Spanish beach apartment, beauty treatments, days out, a month of gym membership, and lots of other items and experiences which are still to be revealed.

Maddy said: “The original idea was to do a ‘12 days of Christmas’ theme but we’ve been overwhelmed with the reaction when we asked local businesses for donations.

“Lots of the contributions have come from women who are shocked but overjoyed to hear that things are being done about these issues. I think lots of people can relate and want to get behind us.”

Supporters include Chapel Leisure Centre, Hayfield’s Aries beauty salon, G Louise Aesthetics and Jones & Co Barbering, plus sports rehabilitation practitioner Martha Holland.

Raffle tickets cost £10 each, and Maddy is hoping to raise £1,000 for the EXPPECT Centre for Pelvic Pain and Endometriosis at the University of Edinburgh.

Maddy said: “Its a specialised team based in Edinburgh who are currently trailing new treatments and are aspiring to be a national clinic and research hub for women with pelvic pain and endometriosis. I think it would be the first of its kind in the country.

“Treatments for these kind of conditions only receive 0.0017 per cent of the Government’s annual budget funding for research, haven't progressed in over a decade and don't work very effectively, leaving a lot of women living in daily debilitating pain.”

In the meantime, Maddy is busy locally too, and has been invited to make recommendations to NHS Derby and Derbyshire Clinical Commissioning Group on improving treatment pathways.

For updates, including all the raffle prize announcements, find @letschangeitperiod on Facebook and Instagram. To buy a raffle ticket, make a donation at https://bit.ly/3FK5B5W.

“In these confusing and worrying times, local journalism is more vital than ever. Thanks to everyone who helps us ask the questions that matter by taking out a subscription or buying a paper. We stand together.” – Louise Cooper, editor.