Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
On track to end period poverty
ANGUS Council is hoping to eradicate period poverty in the area by the end of the year, despite Covid-19 setbacks.
Within the last year, Free Period Angus, part of the Scottish Government’s Period Poverty Campaign, has provided more than 70,000 free products to girls and women throughout the area.
One in 10 in the UK cannot afford basic menstrual hygiene products and, in Angus, two/three in 10 girls and women are not attending school or work due to a lack of period products.
Having already distributed free period products to almost 200 community collection points, from sports centres and GP surgeries to shops and charities, the project team was forced to consider new and innovative ways to continue the momentum when Covid struck.
As a result, Angus Community Planning Partnership has become one of the first in the UK to team up with Hey Girls, who can post three months’ worth of products, including environmentally-friendly reusable pads, on behalf of Free Period Angus.
Shelley Hague, strategic policy and planning manager of Angus Council said: “We have achieved so much since Free Period Angus began, so Covid wasn’t going to stand in our way.
“Period products are expensive.
“At up to £18 per month, they’re just another financial burden and, for many, one they simply cannot afford.
“Similarly, with disposable products being a significant blight on our environment, reusable products are a brilliant alternative and really growing in popularity.
“Whether collecting them in town or ordering them online, anyone living in Angus can now get their period products for free so we’re looking to spread the word, particularly among those living in poverty, or isolating.”
With the project funded until at least the end of 2022, the team is on track to eradicate period poverty before the year is out.
Amy Briggs, senior marketing manager at Hey Girls, added: “We’ve been so excited to partner with Angus Community Planning Partnership and Sustainable Kirriemuir championing sustainable period products within their communities.
“It’s clear from the huge response and positive reviews that people are becoming more aware of the impact that period waste has on our environment and are willing to make the transition to trying reusable products.”
To order free period products, visit freeperiodangus.co.uk