Period Rights Ipswich: Making period care accessible

We are pleased to support Period Rights Ipswich, a group bringing vital attention to the issues of period poverty.

At ICM we have long been providing free period products in our bathrooms, and believe this most basic step should be implemented by all businesses and public facilities. That's why we've signed their open letter, calling on the council to make free period products available in their public toilets.

Learn more about the Period Rights Ipswich campaign, and what they have achieved so far, below:

Written by Period Rights Ipswich:

From left to right: James, Gala and Charlotte

Period Rights Ipswich, a youth-led campaign, has opened a new chapter in the town’s battle against period poverty. As part of Jack Abbott MP’s Summer School, the initiative has brought eight young adults together to make a practical, yet necessary, change in the community. The mission is simple: spotlight businesses and public facilities which provide free sanitary products in their bathrooms and encourage those who don’t, to do so.

One may question how relevant the issue is to our town, but the data makes it abundantly clear. A recent ActionAid UK poll found that 11% of people who menstruate had struggled to afford period products in the last year. Closer to home, a 2021 Suffolk County Council survey found that 43% of respondents have used sanitary products not fit for purpose, or for too long, because of cost.

So, how has Period Rights Ipswich been driving change? Over the past week, the team has been working across the town to build a clear picture of where free period products are, and are not, available. This has since been translated into an interactive map which members of the public can easily access via a QR code. 

However, that’s not all the group has been doing. The team reached out to Katy Robinson, who was labelled the most influential woman in construction, and she gave us an insightful talk about period provisions on sites across the UK. Her perspective emphasised how workplaces often overlook basic hygiene requirements for women, and why access to these products should be standard practice.

We also spoke to Councillor Bryony Rudkin, the deputy head of Ipswich Borough Council. Here we discussed the wider issue of hygiene accessibility in the town, how we can widen our impact and how we can rally the council to help the cause.

From Left to right: Charlotte, James, Cllr Bryony Rudkin and Anna

Finally, a member of the team, Caoimhe, spoke on Greatest Hits Radio about the campaign, which will be aired on Monday.  She discussed how the issue of period poverty is a societal issue and not solely a women’s issue.

It truly has been a busy week.

Whilst we recognise that we alone cannot solve the issue of period poverty, this campaign has been an instrumental step in helping to prevent it. We hope that this is the catalyst for greater change to come!

The interactive map and the barcode to access it