Social enterprise calls on councils to join fight back against period poverty

A multi-award-winning social enterprise is calling on more local authorities in the UK to join the fight against period poverty following successes in its native Scotland

Musselburgh-based Hey Girls works nationwide to fight back against period poverty, donating a box of period products to community organisations like foodbanks and women’s refuges for every one purchased through its partnership schemes.

Partners range from construction industry giants to electronics manufacturers – as well as more than 80 local authorities who benefit from its reduced pricing for the public sector.

Nowhere is that more evident than Scotland, where local authorities are required by law to provide free period products under the Period Product (Free Provisions) Act, regardless of personal circumstance.

Georgie Nicholson, contracts and partnerships manager at Hey Girls, said she would like to see more local authorities in other UK countries implement similar schemes – regardless of whether they are required by law.

She said: “One in 10 people in the UK are affected by period poverty – and there will be no local authority areas in the country immune from it.

“We are seeing fantastic results in Scotland, although there remain hundreds of thousands of people who cannot afford something as basic as period products.

“And this comes during a cost-of-living crisis which is showing no signs of slowing down

– with our community partners seeing an ever-increasing demand for their services.

“It is something no one should stand by and accept.”

Creating empowered councils Hey Girls’ work with local authorities has seen its products made available in town halls and civic centres, while home delivery packs containing both disposable and reusable products have been made available to those in more rural locations.

The Hey Girls team handles the whole process for rural communities, from packing to dispatch.

Free period pickup locations can be found nationwide through the PickupMyPeriod app, available on both Apple and Android devices. Local authorities to have seen the benefits of partnering with Hey Girls include Fife Council, Denbighshire County Council and Essex County Council.

Brian Borland, community participation and development officer at South Lanarkshire Council, who have partnered with Hey Girls since 2018, said the partnership has had a great impact on people living in the local area.

He added: “We have a great working partnership with Hey Girls, and this continues to grow.

“The partnership helps get more products out into our communities and provides dignity for people when they are collecting the products. E

F “Hey Girls also works with the PickupMyPeriod app, which helps people source and find their nearest locations to obtain products.

“There are also training opportunities, session plans and resources that can be accessed for any further development work in the community.”

Brian and his team in South Lanarkshire are just one example of the empowered organisations looking to make a difference to those experiencing period poverty in their local area.

Some local authorities have gone beyond just providing products and have hosted events to raise awareness of the Period Products Act and what support is available to them. These have included an event at a Glasgow secondary school to mark its first ever Period Dignity Month alongside the city’s first Period Dignity Officer and Social Justice Secretary Shona Robison.

Adverts have been displayed across the city to raise awareness of the more than 300 local pickup points throughout the city.

Georgie added: “Our amazing partners and people like Brian are huge allies in our fight to achieve period equality.

“It is hard to overplay just how big a difference these schemes make to the lives of vulnerable people.

“Making products freely and easily accessible is so much more than just an ESG box-ticking exercise. It gives people the helping hand they need to go out to work, to go to school, to live a normal life without the constant fear of being caught short without a period product to hand.

“You would never not supply visitors to your office or library with toilet paper – and period products should be seen in the same way.

“We have already seen so many successes since our launch in 2018, but there is still so much more work to do.”

Setting sights on Westminster

Hey Girls’ work isn’t only evident in Scotland, with the organisation having a dozen local authority partners across Wales as well as others in both England and Northern Ireland.

But its focus isn’t just on local government. Having already seen huge successes in Scotland’s devolved administration, its sights are now firmly set on the very top and those pulling the strings in Westminster.

This was evident earlier this year when the social enterprise surpassed an incredible 30 million donations milestone taking the opportunity to write to cabinet ministers and MPs on both sides of the commons to drum up support.

Georgie added: “It has been amazing seeing the level of support we have in Scotland. We’ve received countless amounts of praise from politicians at the very top, including cabinet members in the Scottish government who have been big supporters of our cause.

“We would love to see that same passion for equality extended to the UK government and beyond – and we will continue to raise awareness, make noise and ensure the voices of those living in period poverty are heard.

“This isn’t just another box-ticking exercise to meet social responsibility requirements. It’s a small and relatively inexpensive gesture that changes lives.

“I would implore any local authorities yet to introduce measures to tackle period poverty to get in touch.

“Not only will you be surprised at how simple and inexpensive it can be, but by the real stories you will hear by those you have helped – both those accessing your free products and those receiving donations because of your purchases.”

All Hey Girls products are available to public sector customers, from its awardwinning reusable period pants, cups and pads through to its plant-based disposables.

Those partnering can know their purchases have a positive impact on the environment too, with Hey Girls using certified and sustainably sourced materials in all its products – while its reusables are helping to cut down on the more than 200,000 tonnes of period product waste produced every year. L

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