Region’s first Fertility Fayre a great success

16 Nov 2016

Fertility-Fayre-Bourn-Hall-Cambridge

Fertility Nurse Specialists Rachel Hunter and Leona Crookston
Fertility Nurse Specialists Rachel Hunter and Leona Crookston

“We feel as though we have more of an idea of where to go from here. We found answers to a lot of the questions we had and also extra things that we had not even thought about before.” This was the experience of one couple and echoed by many other visitors to the region’s first Fertility Fayre.
More than 60 people attended the free event hosted by Bourn Hall, which was designed to help those starting a family get ‘fertility fit’ and held to coincide with National Fertility Awareness Week.

Visitors said they appreciated the relaxed and informal atmosphere which allowed them the opportunity to spend time talking to a range of health support groups and therapists, as well as Bourn Hall experts.

Tanya Turner, Head of Patient Services, was delighted by the positive feedback, she said:  “It is really important that people get the right advice about fertility sooner rather than later and that is why we had the idea of hosting the region’s first Fertility Fayre.

“We wanted to encourage those who are struggling to conceive or might suspect they have a fertility problem to seek advice and to get the answers they needed in a warm and welcoming environment.

“We are so pleased the event went well and there seemed to be something to offer everyone, whatever stage of their journey, which was great and exactly what we had hoped to achieve.”

“Lots of people said how useful it’s been, so we will definitely be looking to make this an annual event,” Tanya added.

Bourn Hall’s Tanya Turner, Rebecca Ward and Nicola Graver
Bourn Hall’s Tanya Turner, Rebecca Ward and Nicola Graver

Stalls included exhibitors from Access Fertility, Cambridge Reflexology Health, CAMQUIT, True Health Clinic, Proxeed, Genesis Genetics and Weight Watchers.

A warm welcome from Kim Borer and Jo Brand
A warm welcome from Kim Borer and Jo Brand

Bourn Hall organised stands with information about free IVF options, advice about NHS funding and eligibility criteria, fertility health and wellbeing and the Bourn Hall Fertility Support Group.

One patient commented: “The two ladies who greeted us on the front desk were lovely and straight away made us feel comfortable.”

A couple who said they felt ‘very much in the dark’ beforehand said they found the ‘ask the expert’ sessions extremely helpful: “After attending Saturday we feel more at ease and confident.”

Another visitor also found these question and answer opportunities very informative: “It was great to be able to ask questions of the experts. Oh, and the coffee was great too!”

Embryologists Jemma Clarke, Martyn Blayney and Laura Jameson
Embryologists Jemma Clarke, Martyn Blayney and Laura Jameson

Variety of exhibitors

David Chrimes, Genesis Genetics
David Chrimes, Genesis Genetics

David Chrimes from Genesis Genetics commented “I found the day really useful and had lots of very interested people come and talk to me so I certainly found it very worthwhile.

“I thought it was a really well run day with enough people there to show that it was well received by the broader community.  Certainly we would be interested in attending a similar event in the future.”

“Thank you for the opportunity to be part of the Fertility Fayre, I’m glad that I was a part of it and feel I made some good contacts, congratulations on a great event.” – Lotus, Cambridge Reflexology Health.

Thank you to The Rural Coffee Project which provided steaming cups of coffee and other refreshments throughout the day – even though it was sunny it was cold!

More information

Bourn Hall offers a comprehensive fertility health and wellbeing checks tailored to your personal situation to help increase your chances of starting a family.

We also run many events throughout the year to help you to understand your fertility – take a look here.

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Find out how can we help you

Book a consultation call with our team to find out how Bourn Hall can help you on your fertility journey

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