Please join us on 26th May to hear the interim findings of Birmingham City University’s ‘Periods in a Pandemic’ research project, and how UK projects and initiatives are continuing to support those experiencing period poverty during the pandemic.

Period poverty remains a challenge in the UK, as highlighted by research, news and social media. In March 2020, Plan International UK’s The State of Girls’ Rights in the UK: Early insights into the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on girls report provided some shocking figures on how period poverty was affecting girls during lockdown:

• 11% of girls aged 14-21 had not been able to afford period products. These girls were using makeshift products, such as toilet roll (54%), socks (11%), other fabric (8%) and newspaper/paper (6%).

• 22% of girls who could afford period products were struggling to access them, mostly because they could not find them in the shops (64%).

Community and non-profit initiatives within the UK face new challenges related to Covid-19 as they continue to support those experiencing period poverty. Challenges relate not only to accessing products, but to the provision of menstrual health education and menstrual healthcare, further highlighting that ‘period poverty’ does not just equate to financial poverty and product affordability.

Join us to learn about the project’s interim findings and hear from our panel of experts during this exciting event.

Confirmed speakers for the event are:

• Gemma Williams, Research Fellow, Birmingham City University

• Neelam Heera, Founder, Cysters

• Gemma Baker, Communications and Grants Officer, Milford Haven School

• Tina Leslie (Founder) and Victoria Abrahams (Business Development & Strategic Support), Freedom4Girls

• Dr Jenni Martin, Founder, Pandemic Periods

Please follow @PandemicPeriod to find out more about our speakers and their projects, in the run up to the event!

Tune in from the comfort of your home or office- the webinar link will be provided closer to the event’s date.

Please contact Gemma Williams (gemma.williams@bcu.ac.uk) with any queries.