Chronically Creative

This project grew from our cosy Chai and Chat circles, where honest conversations about menstrual, maternal and mental health naturally flowed. We wanted to create a warm, creative space that eases isolation and celebrates community care. Through arts-based therapy we’ve shared stories in our own zine, poured candles scented with hope and laughter, and held space for joy alongside struggle. Every gathering leaves people feeling lighter, connected and empowered, a reminder that collective care and creativity can spark real healing and resilience.

Flow & Grow

Flow & Grow is Cysters’ monthly community-powered programme supporting menstrual and maternal health across every life stage. Co produced with the community to break stigma and spark honest conversation, these interactive sessions cover periods, fertility, pregnancy, postnatal care and cervical screening. Participants leave with practical knowledge, confidence to access vital screenings and a stronger connection to their own bodies and community support networks including other organsations that may be able to assist them further.

Cysters Research and Outreach

At Cysters we believe research should start with the people it’s meant to serve. That’s why our work moves beyond observation to genuine co-production, blending academic with lived experience.

Our team has contributed to published papers and peer-reviewed journals while staying rooted in grassroots realities. We’ve been invited to share our approach to community-led research on global stages, including Geneva, and we proudly lead NIHR-funded projects as PPIE (Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement) leads. Every study we join or lead is shaped by the communities most impacted. From menstrual health to maternity justice, we centre lived stories, challenge traditional power dynamics, and create data that policymakers cannot ignore.

Marginalised and Menopausal

This programme improving access to inclusive menopause support for racially marginalised communities and those experiencing health inequalities. Working with universities we co produce intersectional research and bring those findings back to the communities through events, workshops and partnerships with local healthcare services. In 2024, we hosted the UK's first community led conference with the support of Dame Lesley Regan. Our programme centres lived experience, shares trusted information and connects people with local support, culminating each year in a flagship community conference that brings together communities, healthcare professionals and organisations to drive more equitable and inclusive menopause care.

Community Resource Distribution

This Programme tackles reproductive-health inequality across the West Midlands by providing essential items, menstrual products, infant formula, maternity supplies and other critical care resources, free of charge and with no questions asked. Through partnerships with organisations such as Hey Girls, local faith groups and neighbourhood networks, and powered by a trained volunteer base, we collect, store and distribute high-quality resources directly to those who need them most. By meeting urgent material needs while fostering trust and engagement, the programme not only relieves immediate hardship but also creates a gateway for individuals to participate in our wider education, advocacy and participatory research initiatives, making it a powerful, measurable driver of long-term reproductive-health equity.

Pass the Mic

Pass the Mic is a podcast that shines a light on the conversations we've been told to keep quiet. Through honest discussions with people with lived experience, researchers, healthcare professionals and changemakers, we explore reproductive health, medical misogyny, racism, fat bias, fertility, decolonising health and the systems shaping our bodies and lives. Together, we're challenging stigma, amplifying underrepresented voices and passing the mic to the people who deserve to be heard.