Working together to tackle period poverty in Cheltenham
What is period poverty?
‘Period Poverty’ is when you are unable to afford sanitary products and this is a real problem for many people. Nationally we know that one in ten girls (10 per cent) have been unable to afford sanitary wear and one in seven girls (14 per cent) have had to ask to borrow sanitary wear from a friend due to affordability issues. Imagine being a teenage girl feeling too guilty to ask your parents for sanitary items because you know they are already struggling to buy food for the family. In addition, periods are still a taboo subject for many people, making it even harder to ask for help when you need it.
Does this exist in Cheltenham?
Sadly, it does. A recent study shows that there are many people in Cheltenham living in poverty, and some areas of our town are among the most deprived in England. There is also data to show that poverty is more likely to affect women than men. This is happening on our doorstep and is having a serious effect on the education, health and quality of life of adults and young people in our town.
What is Unstoppable doing about it?
Unstoppable, with money from Gloucestershire County Council, is providing free tampons, pads, towels and menstrual cups across Cheltenham in places that are easy to access, so you can just walk in and take what you need. If you want to chat to staff they will be happy to answer any questions you may have or help you find more information, and will do so in a way that respects your privacy and dignity. Our partners want to make sure that no one in Cheltenham should have to go without sanitary products simply because they are unable to afford them and will distribute products to anyone who needs them with no questions asked.
We also want to break the taboo and stigma that can make accessing sanitary products so difficult for some people.
How can I help?
Wherever you find our products you will find a feedback form. If you can take the time to tick a few boxes we can use this info to tailor the support we offer - for example if loads of people tell us they prefer tampons we can order more tampons! It is voluntary and won't affect your access to the products, but we would appreciate receiving your views.
You can help us keep going by asking others to consider donating funds or products, or becoming distribution or donation points.
Where are the distribution points?
Use the map below to see where the distribution points are across Cheltenham.
Who are we?
Unstoppable is a partnership project funded by Gloucestershire County Council whose aim is to deliver free sanitary products to anyone in Cheltenham who needs them.
Like our Facebook page to stay up to date.
The partnership is made up of:
- Vision21
- Gloucestershire Rural Communities Council
- Cheltenham Borough Council
- The Cheltenham Trust
- The Red Box Project
- Community mentoring and support (CMAS)
- Cheltenham Borough Homes
- Family Space
- Pittville School
- The Catholic School of St Gregory the Great
- Young Gloucestershire
- C3 Church
- Christians Against Poverty
Contact us
Cheltenham Borough Council
Visit us:
Municipal Offices
Promendade
Cheltenham
GL50 9SA
Call us: 01242264277
Email us: nochildleftbehind@cheltenham.gov.uk
Vision 21
Visit us:
Reclaim
Lansdown Industrial Estate
Gloucester Road
Cheltenham
GL51 8PL
Call us: 01242 228823
Email us: dentwhistle@vision21.org.uk