“Periods Aren’t a Luxury”: Scunthorpe woman aiming to end period poverty in town

A Scunthorpe woman has persuaded 20 local businesses to offer free period products from November - and she’ll be marking the launch dressed as a giant tampon.

Rochelle Brown, founder of Period Points, has created small bags filled with free sanitary products to be placed in supermarkets, gyms, cafés and community centres.

Rochelle, who lives with von Willebrand’s disease - a condition that causes heavy bleeding - says her experience was the spark behind the idea.

“My cycle length is a lot longer than other people’s, so I was spending a lot of money on sanitary products," she explained, "I just thought, I can’t be the only person in this position."

Each Period Point is stocked with free tampons and pads - no questions asked.

“It can be the difference between somebody going to school or work that day,” said Rochelle.

“If this can just help somebody maintain a normal lifestyle, then that’s the main thing. It’s not about charity, it’s about dignity.”

Rochelle has been overwhelmed by the response from the community.

“I really thought this was going to be women supporting women. But the amount of men who’ve been in my messages - councillors, business owners - all wanting to do their bit for women and girls, that’s been really eye-opening and lovely."

The official launch is set for November 3, when the project’s website will go live with an interactive map showing where each Period Point can be found.

“If we can stop period poverty in Scunthorpe, who’s to say we won’t get rolled out to other towns and cities,” said Rochelle.