Challenge to wipe out period poverty in Wigan

Charity The Brick and data consultancy firm Cloud Perspective started working together last year to address the problems caused by girls not having access to sanitary products.

Now they are launching a period poverty network in Wigan to co-ordinate efforts to bring period poverty - blamed on austerity measures, benefit cuts and many parents working in low paid jobs, to an end.

A launch event will be held on Thursday, June 27 to bring together organisations such as businesses, schools and community groups.

Alice Coren, re-use and retail manager for The Brick, said: “The launch of the period poverty network is a natural extension to the work we are doing with Cloud Perspective; providing sanitary products where we can for young people in the borough.

“Ultimately, no young person should miss out on education because of their periods, they’re a natural part of us and not something that should affect their education.

“Today there are a variety of projects under way to combat period poverty in the borough and we want to bring all of these initiatives into a period poverty network, to work together to ensure that everyone can have access to sanitary products, so that they can get on with their lives with dignity.”

Martyn Leman, co-director at Cloud Perspective, said: “When I became aware of the period poverty crisis, I was shocked that it existed and immediately wanted to help.

“Cloud Perspective was able to provide much-needed funds to The Brick and the red box project to provide sanitary items and now we want to go even further, to work together to bring period poverty to an end in our community, with the period poverty Network.”

Almost 138,000 girls in the UK missed school in the last year because they could not afford sanitary products.

This can affect their school work and grades, while the stigma surrounding periods and not being able to afford sanitary products can negatively affect self-esteem.

Cloud Perspective started working with The Brick last year by giving seed funding to help them co-ordinate a red box project, which sees boxes containing sanitary products, underwear, paper bags for disposal and information leaflets placed in schools and other venues.

The period poverty network launch event will be held at 5.30pm on Thursday, June 27 at The Brick Works, on Hodson Street, Wigan.

Anyone wishing to attend is asked to email Alice at The Brick on [email protected].