This weekend marathon runners will gather in London for what is renowned as the toughest endurance test in the country. At the same time, another marathon is going on, one that tests participants to their limits – the wait for gynaecological care.
During the London Marathon (April 26th-27th), the charity Women’s Health Hope is launching the world’s first sponsored Painathon. A fundraising initiative highlighting the marathon wait times on the NHS for gynaecological care by drawing a parallel between the ‘ultimate endurance test’ of 26 miles, and the wait times faced by women living in constant pain.
The campaign was devised and created by creative agency Fold7. Fold7 creatives Philippa Baines and Dan Burkitt conceived the idea through Philippa’s own experience as one of the many women struggling with this issue.
The aim of the initiative is to raise a symbolic £27k for Women’s Health Hope, to represent 27,000 women currently waiting over a year for an appointment and support the quarter of a million (more than 260,000) women who are waiting over the maximum government requirement of 18 weeks to see a specialist doctor (UK Gov 2025).
Gynaecological care wait times have tripled since pre-Covid and affect 760,000 women currently on the NHS waiting list for a gynaecology appointment (NHS England). The UK has the largest gender health gap among G20 countries and ranks 12th globally in terms of women’s health, according to the Benenden Health Report 2024.
For the initiative, photos of real women, who are struggling with constant pain, will feature on posters on a variety of sites along the London Marathon route, grabbing the attention of spectators and press covering the event. The two women featured in the posters will be wearing a bib emblazoned not with their marathon number but their marathon wait time for health care.
The campaign encourages people to donate via the Women’s Health Hope Just Giving fundraising page. Any woman affected will also be able to join the Painathon by creating their own individual fundraiser page – then selecting the ‘Become a fundraiser’ button on the main fundraising site. Due to their health conditions, many women are unable to race to raise money for charity.
Both women photographed for the posters, Evie Lapworth and Nathalie Meagan-Blake, have scars that are a result of the worsening of their symptoms in part due to delays in accessing the care they needed. Evie has stage IV endometriosis and Natalie has endometriosis, adenomyosis, fibroids, and PCOS. Evie is a trustee of Women’s Health Hope, Natalie is a women’s health campaigner.
The photos are by award-winning photographer Georgie Wileman, who herself has severe endometriosis. The striking imagery will also run on Instagram and Facebook via the Women’s Health Hope channels. The social media aspect of the campaign also features personalisable Instagram stickers that allow women to tailor digital bibs with their wait times and add them to selfies. Digital links on these photos will drive traffic to the Just Giving page.
Monica Thomas, Founder of Women’s Health Hope, said: “This is Women’s Health Hope’s very first fundraising campaign. As a small charity, every penny raised will make a real and lasting difference in helping us drive our mission forward. 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.”
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.”
