December 15, 2017 2.38 pm This story is over 81 months old

Woman raises funds to fight ‘period poverty’ in Lincoln

A Lincoln woman has raised funds to help school girls have access to sanitary products at school. Kirsty Smith, 38, is an outreach mental health support worker and has raised £147 to buy local schools and foodbanks sanitary products for girls/women who struggle to afford them. Sanitary products have now been delivered to: The Priory…

A Lincoln woman has raised funds to help school girls have access to sanitary products at school.

Kirsty Smith, 38, is an outreach mental health support worker and has raised £147 to buy local schools and foodbanks sanitary products for girls/women who struggle to afford them.

Sanitary products have now been delivered to:

  • The Priory Witham Academy
  • Lincoln Christ Hospital School
  • Birchwood Junior School
  • Birchwood Life Church (Foodbank)
  • Alive Church (Foodbank)

Kirsty told The Lincolnite: “After listening to Dewsbury MP Paula Sherriff highlighting ‘period poverty’ within the House of Commons back in October, I decided that this was the cause to help this year.

“Hearing that school girls were missing days of essential learning due to having no sanitary products and resorting to using socks and paper towels really upset me.

Turn2us have stated that ‘the price of sanitary products can cost in the region of £18,000 over a woman’s life time’.

“If you compare this to data collected by the DWP ‘one in five women are living in poverty in the UK’, it’s easy to see that women are faced with more financial hardship than their male counterparts, this increases when women have children.

“I strongly believe that in 2017 all women should benefit from being comfortable and confident to go about their day without worrying about their periods.

Sanitary products ready to go to schools and local foodbanks

“I have now finished taking donations but managed to raise £147 which enabled me to buy £158 worth of boxes of sanitary products.

“It was also great to see so many men willing to chip in for a good cause.

“I hope that I can inspire more people to get involved with this cause, even if it is just donating to their local foodbank.”

Click here to check out how much you have spent on sanitary products up to now.