Building a community for Women’s Health at the University of Liverpool

Posted on: 22 July 2026 in Community

From creating safe spaces for open conversations to raising awareness of often-overlooked health conditions, the University of Liverpool Women’s Health Advocacy Society has quickly made a meaningful impact on campus since its launch in 2025. Following their recent success in winning New Society of the Year 2026, we spoke with founder Liv and committee members Grace, Ruby, Holly and Maya about the society’s mission, the importance of women’s health advocacy and their ambitions for the future.

What is the University of Liverpool's Women’s Health Advocacy Society and what is your mission? 

Liv: I founded the University of Liverpool’s Women’s Health Advocacy Society in 2025. I noticed that there is not enough information or resources on campus and in public settings about women’s health, and created the society, alongside the committee: Grace Haig, Ruby Bell, Holly Rafferty and Maya Desai. We’ve all created safe spaces for women to feel comfortable talking about their journeys, their pain or their diagnosis. Our spaces are welcome for everyone to attend, find out more information or want to support someone they know. Our mission as a society is to make campus more aware of women’s health, the impacts that come from women’s health conditions (like PMOS, endometriosis etc) and to push for more inclusivity. We have an array of events from fundraising, crafts, quiz nights and more.  

What impact do you think safe spaces for discussing women’s health have on students’ wellbeing and awareness on campus? 

Grace: Women don’t feel as alone in their struggles and have a place they can openly voice their experiences without judgment. 

Maya: It’s been really awesome to give people the space to check in more with their health and look after themselves, especially amidst just how busy university life is.  

What have been the most impactful campaigns or events the society has run this year? 

Maya: You might have seen Endometriosis awareness posters on the boards in the Guild - that was us! The bake sale to raise money for Endometriosis UK was also so much fun.

Holly: Our “Women’s History Month: Presentation Night” was a personal favourite. One of our society’s main objectives is to create a safe space for women and organising an event to celebrate influential women - both personal figures and historical icons - allowed that objective to come to life. It was amazing and heart warming to watch that aim manifest in a meaningful way.

How has being part of the society helped you grow personally or professionally?

Grace: I personally feel as though it has made me not be ashamed of my PMOS, instead I want to advocate it and be a part of a community where others with the condition can speak about their struggles and feelings.

Ruby: Being on the committee has definitely made me more educated on Women’s Health conditions. A huge part of this education has come from our Women’s Health Wednesdays posts on Instagram, which both highlight and provide information on different health conditions that were definitely not named and taught in school, but are more common than people believe. They have definitely been relatable and helped me understand more about myself. 

Holly: Being part of the society has made me take my health more seriously and to stop excusing my symptoms. The society has also given insight into other women’s health conditions and the challenges that those women deal with day-to-day. The message and space of the society has reinforced the importance of creating supportive environments for women’s health experiences to be discussed. 

What did it mean to the society to win New Society of the Year Guild Award and how did you feel when you received the award? 

Grace: Seeing all the hard work Liv has put into this society, and then winning, meant the world. I know how much this has meant to Liv and seeing our community grow and blossom has not only been truly fulfilling but incredibly powerful, and to win New Society of the Year 2026 was just truly special.  

Holly: Winning ‘New Society of the Year’ meant a lot to me and the society. Winning the award showed recognition for all our hard work in creating a safe and supportive space for women in Liverpool. Receiving the award made us all feel so unbelievably proud, as it reflected the positive impact that we were trying so hard to make on our members. It was rewarding to have that hard work acknowledged, and it furthered our motivation to continue growing our society and advocating for change.

What are your plans for the future and how do you hope to expand your impact and reach next year? 

Grace: I think my main goal as VP is get more people into the society and let people know that women’s health doesn’t have to be taboo anymore! I think it’s important we talk about women’s health as openly as other sectors of health and health issues. Most importantly next year is shining a light on lesser-known conditions and issues while keeping awareness and understanding at the forefront of what we do.  

Holly: As a society, we plan to continue previously popular events but also introduce new socials. Next year, as the Communications Officer, I want to continue to use our social media platforms to increase visibility on women's health conditions and challenges within them and to reach out to other societies and advocates to further spread our message. 

What advice would you give to students who are thinking about joining the society or getting involved in women’s health advocacy? 

Maya: Come along to our events! Everyone is so friendly and supportive and it’s a really relaxed setting to have a chat about what you might be going through, or just to take your mind off it all. It’s fundamentally really empowering to know you’re not alone and that’s why we’ve sought to build the community that we have.  

Grace: Don’t be afraid to! It seems scary at first but really we’re all massive softies who just want to create a safe and welcoming space. I love our events because they’re just so open, we’re not super regimented; we let them flow freely and the energy is just always really good in the room. You can let your hair down and I think the variety of events we have on offer is really appealing from having meetings where we sit and discuss conditions and experiences to then fun film nights and craft sessions! 

Holly: As most do say, please don't feel intimidated to join! I have felt the nerves before and put off joining societies. Once I ignored my nerves, I ended up joining a few societies, made so many friends and had such a fun and amazing time. Members of our committee and society are eager to meet new people and to grow our community, so we're probably even more excited to meet you than you are to join us! Additionally, since we are advocating for women’s health, people may feel they cannot join if they are not affected by a condition; however, we are open to all.  Whether you're a friend, partner, brother or sister, we seek to help educate those whose loved ones are affected by a women’s health condition. 

And finally, what advice would you give on how people can better support and advocate for women’s health? 

Maya: Firstly, you might not fully understand exactly what your friends are going through: that’s absolutely fine. There are so many health conditions that affect women, and so many wide-ranging impacts on so many areas of women’s lives. But just providing a listening ear goes such a long way, and so does checking in and letting people know you’re thinking of them. Seeing if there are any practical, day-to-day things you can help with is also an awesome way to support anyone who might be struggling - the smallest things go such a long way.  

Grace: Do some research into women’s health conditions and see how you can better understand those around you with any conditions, whether they’re a partner, friend or family.  

Ruby: Don’t rely purely on what you were taught in school. Women’s Health is often misunderstood and continues to be under-researched. The majority of what is taught in school is the very basics and tends to dismiss a lot of different health conditions. So if you are a woman or know a woman who is struggling, don’t dismiss your pain because it's unclear what it is, and don’t be embarrassed to get help. Women’s Health affects everyone and should absolutely be pushed to the forefront. 

A huge thank you to the society for taking the time to share their achievements with us.

If you'd like to get involved, follow their social media channels to keep up to date with upcoming events, opportunities and ways to join the community. 

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