Tackling period poverty: Free sanitary products available across the borough

Runnymede Borough Council is working with social enterprise, Hey Girls, and has provided free sanitary products at a variety of public venues across the borough, making it easier for people to access essential menstrual hygiene products.

Last year, a report by Action Aid revealed that 60 per cent of individuals who menstruate are forced to prioritise food over purchasing period products. This project aimed to tackle this by providing free access to sanitary products across the community, so residents don’t have to make this choice.

A key focus of the initiative is to ensure that period products are available to everyone who needs them. To achieve this, the Council has suggested that venues place sanitary products in all bathrooms, ensuring they are accessible to everyone who menstruates. Not only does this help with privacy and inclusivity, but it also addresses the stigma around periods and normalises menstruation. 

Products are plant-based and disposable, made with sustainably sourced bamboo and 100 per cent certified organic cotton. They are available at a range of locations across the borough, including:

• Community centres
• Sport clubs 
• GP surgeries
• Foodbanks and homeless support services
• Council-owned buildings

Product locations

By providing free sanitary products in these locations, the Council hopes to ensure they’re accessible for all. 

In addition to these public venues, the initiative has also reached out to local organisations supporting vulnerable individuals. Just a Helping Hand, a charity dedicated to helping homeless people, has been supplied with sanitary products and have been offered as an extra supply to the Temporary Accommodation and Homelessness Prevention teams at Runnymede Borough Council.

Since the launch, approximately 6,500 sanitary pads and 5,000 tampons have been distributed, demonstrating the significant impact this initiative is having on the community.

This step forward aims to reduce period poverty and help ensure that no one in the borough is forced to choose between their basic needs and menstrual hygiene.