education as a vehicle for change
Twenty-one women die of a gynaecological cancer every day in the UK. Most of those deaths are preventable, but only if people know what to look for, what their bodies are telling them, and where to go when something feels wrong.
That isn't where most young people are starting from. 78% of women aged 18 to 44 can't name the signs and symptoms of the five gynae cancers. A quarter leave school without their HPV vaccine. A third of eligible women don't attend cervical screening when they're invited.
Our Education Programme is how we close that gap. We work with universities, sixth forms and schools to give young people the knowledge, confidence and language to look after their gynaecological health, and to keep that awareness with them for the rest of their lives.
university education programme
University is the right moment to reach young women. It's the first time many are managing their own healthcare, forming long-term habits, and approaching the age of their first cervical screening invitation. Get the conversation right here and it travels into friendships, families, and future workplaces.
Our university work runs on three connected parts: a national Freshers' Week tour, our Student Ambassador Programme, and year-round campus activity led by ambassadors.
We launched at the University of Manchester in 2022, handing out our gynaecological health guide The Vagina Dialogues to 16,000 students. By 2025, we were at 29 universities and had distributed 30,000 guides.
"I liked how you made a topic that's often taboo and awkward into something fun and inviting. The ambassadors were really informative and I felt very passionate about the foundation after leaving the stand."
- Student, Durham univeristy
freshers’ week: our entry point
the vagina dialogues:
The 'Vagina Dialogues' is our key education resource for university students. A comprehensive guide that covers a wide range of gynaecological health topics, it provides all different types of information from the signs and symptoms of the five gynaecological cancers to the explanations of different colours of discharge and their meanings. This guide is specifically designed for students, helping them understand what is normal for their bodies. In addition to its content, The Vagina Dialogues also includes references to other helpful links and websites where users can find updated information.
our university campaign effectively demonstrates that by changing the way we present and discuss a serious public message…
we can empower those with vaginas to overcome embarrassment and take better care of their gynae health.
Read our most recent Impact Report below to better understand our campaign approach.
university ambassador programme
Our ambassadors are the engine of the programme. They're students who carry the conversation forward at their universities long after Freshers' Week ends by running awareness activities, supporting Freshers' stands, sharing content, organising events, and volunteering at Lady Garden moments throughout the year.
What ambassadors do
Lead on-campus awareness activities
Support Freshers' Fair delivery at their university
Share our online content
Help raise funds to keep the work going
Connect with ambassadors across the UK through training calls and shared campaigns
What ambassadors get back
A Lady Garden merch pack and ambassador handbook
A professional reference
Priority consideration for internships and placements
Practical skills in campaigning, fundraising and event delivery
Access to our end-of-year networking event with leaders across medicine, law, media, consulting, charity and beyond
Our Annual Student Networking event
This year, for the first time, we are brgining our Student Ambassadors together with leaders from across industries for an afternoon of career networking, conversation and connection. It's both a thank-you to the students who give their time to the programme and a way of opening doors for our next cohort of ambassadors, and it's something we hope to make an annual fixture from here on.
We are piloting the format in June 2026, hosting the inaugural Generation Prevention: Parliamentary Summit in the Strangers' Dining Room at the House of Commons, with The Rt Hon the Baroness Nicola Morgan of Cotes as our kind host.
For our ambassadors, it’s a chance to build the kind of professional network that's hard to come by as a student. For the industry leaders who are joining us, it is window into the work our ambassadors are doing on campuses across the UK.
want to become a UNIVERSITY ambassador?
We’re on the lookout for passionate individuals looking to fly the fanny flag for their university. If this sounds like something you’d love to be a part of, click below to find out more about the university ambassador programme:
schools and sixth form programme
Sixth form is the moment before healthcare independence. It’s before first cervical screening invitations, before the HPV catch-up window closes, and before long-term health behaviours are set. It's a time where the right education can shape the rest of someone's relationship with their body.
In 2026/27 we're going to be running a small pilot across partner schools to test how gynaecological health education works in can sixth-form settings. We're focusing on feasibility, safeguarding and engagement rather than reach.
We're testing three delivery models:
Workshops led by Lady Garden staff and education board members
Peer-led sessions modelled on our university ambassador approach
Partnership-led sessions with aligned health and education organisations
Alongside this, we're developing materials for parents, teachers and male students on the HPV vaccine, in order to address the misinformation that has driven uptake down in recent years and to support families to make informed decisions.
City of London School for Girls Collaboration
In May 2026, we ran a pilot pop-up garden in collaboration with City of London School for Girls — a conversation space near the school's front entrance, designed to give students a safe environment to talk about gynaecological health and cancers.
The pop-up was built around five planters, each representing one of the five gynaecological cancers: ovarian, cervical, womb, vaginal and vulval. Banners introduced students to the five cancers , and benches gave them somewhere to sit, read, and start the conversation in their own time.
The pilot is running during the Chelsea Flower Show period to tie into a moment when gardens are in the public conversation, and to test something we hope to take further.
GET INVOLVED with our education programme
If you’re interested in our education programme we’d love to hear from you! Whether you're a student keen to become an ambassador, a school or university interested in our programme, a parent with questions, or a potential partner or funder, get in touch below:
A FEW other WAYS TO GET INVOLVED
Follow us
Give us a follow on your chosen socials to stay up to date with our upcoming events and fundraisers.
Donate
Your support, no matter the size, will help to improve the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the five gynaecological cancers.
Partner with us
Let’s chat about partnerships, collaborations, fundraising and Lady Garden ambassadors.
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