Dear Sir/Madam,
One in 10 people in the UK are affected by period poverty. That is hundreds of thousands of people in a G7 country forced to make difficult and unsafe decisions every month over something as natural as having a period.
Period poverty is taking away the access to education and employment for a generation affected by the ongoing cost of living crisis – and is likely to worsen should politicians like you fail to act now.
We are Hey Girls. We are leading the fightback against period poverty and we need you to join us in our mission.
We help open up the discussion around period education and period dignity, and our award-winning ‘buy one, donate one’ business model means for every purchase of our environmentally-friendly products, we donate the equivalent product to someone in need in the UK.
Now marking our seventh birthday, we are proud to have donated more than 42 million period products to vulnerable people across the country, supplying them with products where others can’t. Imagine how high that number could be with government support.
We have already played a key role in the abolishment of the so-called Tampon Tax, helped inspire a generation of campaigners in our native Scotland through our work towards the Period Products Act, and are now working with the Department of Education in England and the majority of Scottish local authorities. Today, we are setting our sights on Westminster once again.
But why should you be concerned about period poverty? Because it limits futures. Those affected often feel unable or uncomfortable about engaging in education and employment through unwarranted embarrassment and shame. It is a significant hurdle in achieving potential.
To parents, we ask how you would feel sending your child off to school knowing they had to turn to using socks or newspaper because they had no access to a tampon or pad?
That is the reality so many young people face.
Attitudes towards periods are changing. Scotland has led the charge by becoming the world’s first country to make access to free period products a legal right. Today, 13th May 2025, we celebrate the one year anniversary of Northern Ireland also passing the Period Products (Free Provision) Act (Northern Ireland). Pressure is tightening on lawmakers the world over to follow suit.
This is an opportunity for the UK to stand tall as a nation spearheading positive change. Not to be one lagging behind.
Period products are not a luxury. They are a necessity to millions. The day we all begin to appreciate this and take action is the time a nightmare for so many will become a thing of the past.
We hope we can inspire you to act and unite with your fellow MPs to bring forward positive change. If so, we would love to arrange a call with you to discuss our vision for a fairer United Kingdom.
All of us have a role to play in this fight. We hope we can count on you to support us.
Yours sincerely,
Celia Hodson,
Founder and CEO of Hey Girls
*updated statistics regarding Hey Girls donation total and passing of the Northern Ireland Bill (13.05.25)
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