Launching an educational and fun space where making friends with your bowel and poo is normal!
The team had a fantastic time hosting The Gut Hut in Cardiff in June to celebrate the second year of The EveryWoman Festival.
We brought guest experts and special guest speakers to The Gut Hut, where people could learn more about their bowels as our guests shared a wide range of educational content with the public.
Living with a bowel problem is hard enough without the anxiety, difficulties and taboos complicating people’s lives, so it was time to open up the conversation further about bowels with interactive features, speaker sessions, and more to be expected.
We had a range of exceptional guests come to The Gut Hut to share their knowledge and experiences, including:
Breaking down the taboo with The Qufora Twins
First off, Elaine Miller, our hostess for the day, caught up with Laura and Chloe (The Qufora Twins) to hear more about their story and how they are ready to break down the taboo online when it comes to talking all things bowels and poo.
Get to know your bowels with Jody Parker and Nicola Reeves
Jody and Nicola then took us on a journey to learn more about the basics of our anatomy when it comes to your bowel. They showed the audience just how long your bowel is and debunked the most common questions they get asked as Colorectal Surgeons: “Is this normal?!” and if the “nerves poo” is a “thing”?!
We hosted various interactive activities throughout the day, including ‘The Number 2 Sling Shot’ game. We also presented the ‘Golden Poo Award’ to an audience member who courageously shared her bowel journey. This was the first time she had spoken about it publicly, highlighting the safe space we created for open conversations. We brought The Gut Hut to The EveryWoman Festival to start conversations, break taboos, and help people become more comfortable discussing their bowel health.
Let’s talk solutions and actions with Monica Lyons, Emma Short and Jess Kydd Coutts
We then had three wonderful healthcare professionals join us in The Gut Hut, who spoke about some of the tools you can use if you’re finding having a bowel movement isn’t as easy as it once was.
Here’s a clip of Monica talking about the ‘Moo’ technique:
Understanding common bowel problems with Nicola Reeves and Emma Carrington
In our final session, Nicola Reeves and Emma Carrington joined us to discuss how to help patients overcome their fear of seeing a GP for their bowel problems. They talked about undergoing examinations and tests for faecal incontinence.
Thank you to each and every one of our guest speakers. Each session generated lots of interest from our audience, and the feedback has been fantastic.
