Women’s Health Hope equates gynaecological care wait times with marathons

Women’s health charity Women’s Health Hope has unveiled a fundraising campaign highlighting the long NHS wait times for gynaecological care. 

“Painathon” launches on the weekend of the London Marathon (26-27 April) and draws a parallel between the 26.2-mile endurance race and the wait times faced by women. 

Fold7 created the campaign, with a creative team comprising Philippa Baines and Dan Burkitt, who were inspired by Baines’ personal experience. 

The campaign includes posters of real women in chronic pain, shown wearing bibs with their NHS wait times in the style of race numbers. These read: "1461 days waiting for surgery” and “4748 days waiting for a diagnosis.”

The images are accompanied by text that reads: “Blood, sweat and years”, “The endurance test with no finish line in sight”, “All pain no gain,” and “760,000 women can’t run away from this.”

The posters will appear along the marathon route in London, while the campaign will extend to social media with customisable Instagram bib stickers encouraging women to share their stories and drive donations. 

Man From Uncle has handled flyposting for the campaign.

Philly Baines, creative at Fold7, said: “Women's Health Hope was a lifeline to me, after getting struck down by a debilitating health condition. I felt totally alone in a vacuum of gynaecological care. But WHH support groups showed me I was in good company and the charity’s mission: to turn pain into power, has helped me make sense of my prognosis. 

“To support such an important charity that helps so many women is a total honour. The team assembled has all been affected by the issue in some way and exemplifies what can happen when we come together and campaign for change. Fold7 has a longstanding history of supporting women’s health charities and this is just the latest example of how creativity and advertising can be a powerful force for good.”

The images were photographed by Georgie Wileman, and the two women featured, Evie Lapworth and Nathalie Meagan-Blake, both live with endometriosis and other conditions worsened by delayed care. Lapworth is also a trustee of Women’s Health Hope, while Meagan-Blake is a women’s health advocate.

“Painathon” aims to raise £27,000 through the charity's Just Giving page, symbolising the 27,000 women who have to wait for more than a year for treatment. This would fund support and advocacy through Women’s Health Hope. 

Monica Thomas, founder of Women’s Health Hope, added: “As someone living with endometriosis, adenomyosis, lichen sclerosus and other chronic conditions, I know all too well the pain, exhaustion, and isolation that so many women face – often in silence. These are illnesses that disproportionately, and often exclusively, impact women, yet they continue to be overlooked and underfunded. 

“Through this campaign, we’re not only raising vital funds and awareness, but we’re also sending a clear message to the government: it’s time to take women’s health seriously, and to go further in turning commitments into meaningful change.”