Two mothers support Hartlepool women with new community hub

The Women's Health Hub, in The Arches Shopping Village, Hartlepool, was set up by Lottie Ayres and Zoe Gardiner who became friends after meeting at a breastfeeding clinic seven years ago.

Lottie and Zoe found the space in March 2023 after responding to a Facebook advertisement and have since transformed the former bonsai shop into a safe space for women.

The hub runs a range of workshops with charities across the town including baby yoga with Kalma Life Teesside, Menopause Cafe, a book club and the Chatty Cafe Scheme.

Lottie, a pharmacist living in Hartlepool, said: “We want it to be a community place and want people to tell us what they need. It is not just for us to run, we want them to feel like it is their home too.”

Lottie, who has a seven-month-old girl and six-year-old boy, added: “It is a safe place to come and just be. It does not need to be sunshine and happiness. It can be whatever you need it to be.”

The Women’s Health Hub welcomes retired women, new mums, teenage girls, menopausal women and those feeling isolated and in need of someone to talk to.

Speaking about the impact the pandemic has had on women across the town, Zoe said: “Because we were at home all the time, we had forgotten how to interact. With the Chatty Cafe Scheme, we can combat this loneliness and isolation.”

The idea to set up the hub grew out of Zoe’s own experiences of giving birth during the pandemic and not being to see a gynaecologist for post-natal complications.

Zoe, who is currently studying a PhD in molecular microbiology, wanted to bring women together and encourage them to speak out about their own experiences as new mothers during what became a very isolating period.

The Women’s Wellbeing Club will also be launching at the hub Tuesday, June 6, and will run weekly from 6.15pm until 8.15pm, where they will be offering safe, confidential spaces for women to give and receive support.

For more information or to contact the Women’s Health Hub, visit https://www.facebook.com/womenshealthhartlepool.

To donate, see https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/womenshealthhubhartlepool?.