Bloody Good Period
7th August 2019
Menstrual supplies are not cheap, but for those who menstruate, they are an absolute necessity.
Sadly, the reality is that less fortunate people in our society simply cannot afford sanitary products and resort to using toilet paper, old scraps of fabric or nothing at all. The non-profit enterprise, Bloody Good Period, has a vision to end this period poverty.
Gabby Edlin
Bloody Good Period was founded by Gabby Edlin in 2016. Gabby was originally volunteering at a refugee centre, where she quickly realised that the list of essential items she’d been asked to collect for refugees didn’t include sanitary products for women. She was informed that period products ‘weren’t essential’.
Gabby realised that something needed to be done to ensure a sustainable flow of menstrual products were available to those who couldn’t afford them. Bloody Good Period was born.
Bloody Good Period has evolved into a charitable project that provides menstrual products and toiletries to those who can’t afford them including asylum seekers, refugees, younger people and the LGBTQ community. It also aims to disrupt the period industry and the way people talk about menstruation.
Currently, the initiative supplies 25 asylum seeker drop-in centres based in London and Leeds. However, the ambition is to supply many more drop-in centres throughout the UK – so that every woman has accessibility to sanitary products.
The Body Shop
The Body Shop has embarked on a bloody exciting partnership with Bloody Good Period to help support the most vulnerable in our society. The global beauty brand has set up period product donation boxes across key UK stores to help collect menstrual protection for those who can’t afford it; this includes The Body Shop in Garden Square.
The Body Shop in Garden Square has pledged to supply a minimum of £20 worth of period products a month, which will be delivered to people in need. The donations from this store will be going to local schools as, currently in the UK, 1 in 10 girls cannot afford sanitary items.
Kim Stevenson, Store Manager at The Body Shop in Garden Square, says: “Menstrual care is a basic human right and the fact that some people are deprived of it is truly shocking. We are so pleased we can do something to help and invite customers and supporters to make monthly donations so we can make a difference in our local community.”
Gabby Edlin, adds: “Menstrual products are essential and unlike toilet paper, are not free in public areas (or in GP clinics, like condoms), leaving many to go without pads and tampons, using toilet paper, rags, socks, or nothing at all. We’re thrilled to be partnering with The Body Shop on this initiative and look forward to working with them to deliver more menstrual protection for those who can’t afford them.”
Donations
Sanitary product donations are now being taken in-store at The Body Shop in Garden Square. Your donation will help local organisations who support the most vulnerable. Period. So, why not take a stand on menstrual equity and create some pandemonium?!
Head to The Body Shop in Garden Square Shopping in Letchworth to find out more and to donate.
#EmpowHER #BloodyGoodPeriod
