'Don't struggle with menopause in silence'

Tracy Ricketts highlighted the issue of menopause awareness in the workplace

A woman who felt she "didn't want to be here anymore" as she went through the menopause has urged anyone struggling with their mental health not to suffer in silence.

Tracy Ricketts, from Bodenham, shared her experience as the Baton of Hope visits Hereford to raise awareness of suicide prevention support.

She is one of dozens of people carrying an Olympic torch-style baton through the city later.

The baton is touring the UK in an initiative designed to open up a national conversation and encourage people to talk openly about mental health.

Ms Ricketts described how her son knew there was something wrong, asking her if she was all right.

"I really didn't want to be here," she said. "Not that I was particularly going to do something about it, but I knew I just didn't want to be here."

She said it was "awful", considering everything else that was happening in her life.

She explained she knew people often looked at other people's lives and asked what they had to be sad or depressed about, but she said: "I just felt miserable, really miserable, which wasn't like me at all."

'There is hope'

She told how she sought support and talked to friends and said - to anyone was struggling right now - that her story showed there was support and hope.

"This is the whole point of the Baton of Hope," she said. "There is hope. Don't suffer in silence."

Speaking to BBC Hereford and Worcester, Ms Ricketts highlighted issues for women going through the menopause in a male-dominated workforce.

"If they've got a woman who's really suffering, would they speak out? Possibly not, and are the managers aware of what that can mean?," she asked.

She said some people could drift through quite happily, but everyone's resilience was different, adding: "We can never judge what's going on through someone's mind."

Part of the Baton of Hope campaign includes calling for workplaces to have suicide awareness and to pledge to take mental health seriously, she said.

Herefordshire's baton tour starts off at the Hereford Livestock market and ends at Hereford Town Hall.

Activities include stalls offering information, a quiet space at All Saints Church, music at the cathedral and opportunities to chat throughout the day.