We have been extraordinary busy in the month of September!
Going into the final quarter of the 2017 we wanted to really push Periodical Diary to reach new heights and platforms to highlight an array of matters relating to Periods.
We were therefore ecstatic to learn that Dawn Butler MP of Brent and Shadow Women and Equalities Minister, is pledging that the next Labour Government will provide free sanitary products in schools and food banks. Dawn is working with Monica Lennon, Scottish Labour MSP for Central Scotland. Monica is currently running a consultation on period poverty for a Scottish Bill that will make sanitary wear free for all. We have taken part in the consultation and urge all interested parties to do so as the consultation ends on 8th December 2017.
Period Poverty is an inequality that we believe should be eradicated.
It is fantastic that the issue of period poverty has become a key issue on the political stage, the need for such items is why we are campaigning to use the current ‘tampon tax’ to subside sanitary wear for young people – please lend us your support and sign our petition.
We are also tackling period poverty via the donation arm of our initiative, which allows us to engage with young people and families who require such items. We have built a great relationship with a London based Children’s charity, where we were able to tap into a network of schools who expressed a need for sanitary items. Using the donations we received in our summer drive, we have delivered over 1200 sanitary items or Periodical Diary Packs (PDP) (as we like to call them!) to a slew of schools in London. We are continuing to build this network and will be delivering to more schools shortly. Additionally, we have expanded our reach to a social care team that work with no recourse to public funds families such as Asylum seekers and refugees.
For those who still wish to donate we will be holding another drive later in the year till then you can support us here.
Aside from campaigning and donations we also love supporting women and organisations who are in our line of work. As CLUE (great period tracking app) Ambassadors we were excited to be invited to their first ever event held at Facebook, London. Not only was it a great networking opportunity we were able to further strengthen our knowledge on menstruation which will go into enhancing our workshops that we deliver in schools.
Moreover, we have been involved in TOTM’s (cool period subscription service) #talkingperiods campaign which aims to encourage conversation on all aspects of the menstrual cycle.
To round off this amazing month we spent an afternoon at Buzzfeed’s UK office discussing our initiative. This meeting also led us to reflect on how far we have come… thanks to support of the all our readers, followers and members of the public!!
We are fully committed to building our platform of providing period related information, support and Periodical Diary Packs.
We are looking to collaborate with brands and initiatives that fit our ethos so please feel free to get in Contact!
Many Thanks
Elizabeth and Kaye x
Periodical Diary Team