HR on The Solway — Summer 2026 Networking & CPD Event
Does your organisation have a policy on sexual harassment — or does it have something that would actually hold up at tribunal?
There's a world of difference between the two. And that difference is exactly what we'll be getting to grips with over a Wednesday lunchtime this August.
I'll be honest with you: we run a few of these sessions, and we think this might be the most important one we've put on yet.
What's it all about?
Our Summer HR on The Solway networking and CPD session is bringing together two brilliant speakers for a powerful, practical and genuinely thought-provoking afternoon — covering two of the issues landing on HR and People desks right now and not going anywhere.
Sarah Schofield, founder of The Safe Woman, will explore what it really means to create safer workplaces for women. Not policy on paper. Real-world prevention.
Here's the bit that should make every employer sit up. Under the Worker Protection Act, if a claim of sexual harassment succeeds, the tribunal has to consider whether the employer met their preventative duty. If they didn't, compensation can be increased by up to 25%.
Read that again. Having something written down is no longer enough. The question is whether what you've got in place would survive scrutiny — and that's a very different standard, asking for a very different level of preparation.
Then Lindsay Thomson, CBT Therapist and founder of CBT with Lindsay, takes us into the workplace menopause conversation — using evidence-based CBT techniques to show how organisations can build genuinely supportive, inclusive environments for employees navigating perimenopause and menopause.
Two topics HR deals with every single day. One lunchtime. A proper chance to do something about both.
The details
📅 Wednesday 19th August 2026
🕛 12:00–2:00 PM
📍 The Usual Place, Dumfries
💷 FREE
Running order:
12:00–12:30 — Complimentary tea, coffee, cakes and networking
12:30–1:15 — Sarah Schofield, The Safe Woman
1:15–2:00 — Lindsay Thomson, CBT with Lindsay
HR on The Solway — Summer 2026 Networking & CPD Event
What you'll come away with
The Worker Protection Act and what your preventative duty really means
How to move beyond policy into real-world prevention
VAWG policies, personal safety training and domestic abuse reporting mechanisms
Supporting female employees with the resources they actually need
Menopause at work — awareness, practical strategies and a genuinely supportive culture
CBT tools for supporting employees through perimenopause and menopause
Meet our speakers
Sarah Schofield — Founder, The Safe Woman
Sarah is a specialist in women's safety training, workplace confidence and duty of care. Her accredited workshops draw on practical women's safety principles originally commissioned by the British Government back in 1941 — reimagined for modern workplaces, travel, lone working and everyday life. She's worked with organisations right across the UK, from Members of Parliament and Police and Crime Commissioners to public sector bodies and corporate teams. She's also a Trustee for Ask for Angela, a bi-monthly columnist on women's safety for In Cumbria magazine, and walked away with Best New Business of the Year 2025 and Best Emerging Business 2026. She knows her stuff.
Sarah Schofield - Founder of the Safe Woman - Guest Speaker
Lindsay Thomson — CBT Therapist, CBT with Lindsay
Lindsay is a Cognitive Behavioural Therapist based right here in Dumfries, specialising in workplace mental health, stress management and emotional resilience. Her menopause workshops are engaging, evidence-based and refreshingly practical — covering awareness, open discussion and CBT strategies that actually land. She helps managers and teams build the confidence and the tools to have meaningful conversations and create a healthier, more inclusive workplace.
Lindsay Thomson — CBT Therapist, CBT with Lindsay - Guest Speaker
Save your spot
Places are limited, and this is a free session — so if it's caught your eye, don't sit on it. Register now to secure your spot.
What is HR on The Solway?
It's an HR-specific networking group for HR professionals who live and/or work in South West Scotland — a collaborative, inclusive communit y for everyone, at every level. We meet for a friendly, informal lunchtime every couple of months: knowledge-sharing, networking, CPD and guest speakers, with no pressure and plenty of good cake.
No CIPD membership required — all HR professionals welcome.
HR on The Solway is brought to you by Lyndsey Fitheridge of Foxgroves Recruitment and Jennie Griffiths of Foster Your People HR — two female HR and recruitment entrepreneurs serving South West Scotland.
We'd love to see you there. 🦊
P.S. Know someone in your team — or your network — who'd really benefit from one or both of these sessions? Send them this and bring them along. The more of us thinking about this properly, the better.
Lyndsey Fitheridge, CEO & Founder, Foxgroves Recruitment Co-founder, HR on The Solway (alongside Jennie Griffiths, Founder, Foster Your People HR Consultancy)