MEMBERS and supporters of Evesham Labour Party were on hand at Brew Bear Cafe to hand over more than £150 worth of period products for distribution by Caring Hands in the Vale.
A recent survey carried out by the charity Plan International UK found one in ten girls aged 14 to 21 in the UK cannot afford period products.
Nearly half of the 1,000 girls surveyed had missed schooling because of their period while 14 per cent said they had to borrow menstrual products from friends
Helen Russell, Labour’s candidate for Mid-Worcestershire in the recent General Election, said: “The rise in ‘period poverty’ is directly linked to the Conservative government’s decade of austerity measures, including Universal Credit, other benefit cuts and the increase in insecure, poorly-paid work.
“With more families using foodbanks, many low paid women and women on benefits just aren’t able to afford menstrual products. We are the fifth largest economy in the world and we are in this situation. It’s a disgrace.”
