Question 1

HOW DO I SUPPORT YOU?

Accepted Answer

Colddddd harrdddd cash honey! Seriously though. It takes £££ to buy products and get them to where they're needed, especially since the impact of the pandemic has driven demand up massively. We do it by bulk-buying the products requested by our partners (more on that below), direct from suppliers, and delivering them to partners in England and Wales. This way of working enables us to maximise the number of people we can help.    You can be bloody awesome and donate here, or find out about organising a little (or big!) fundraiser here. You can also read more about our new way of working here. THANK YOU.   *Please remember, our way of working has now changed, so we're unable to accept any physical donations of any products. Please don't send us any, thanks ever so.*

Question 2

HOW DO YOU SPEND DONATIONS?

Accepted Answer

Where we give examples how your donations can help (e.g. here), those examples are based on:    Period products. We've taken an average of costs for the different product combinations that are most frequently requested by our partners. We bulk buy and negotiate some great bleeding discounts.
 Other costs to make our distribution happen. That includes transporting the products to where they're needed, storage costs for our Take What You Need programme, and staff costs to make the logistics, partnerships and magic happen. We prioritise building sustainable, long-term relationships, so we can be sure to get period products to where they're needed, when they're needed - i.e. every single bloody month.   We also run education sessions, getting menstrual, sexual and reproductive health information to those less likely to access it, and work to normalise periods for everybody, so your donations can also help us to do that bloody important stuff too.

Question 3

WHO RECEIVES THE DONATIONS?

Accepted Answer

We work with over 100 partner organisations across England and Wales, getting period products to refugees, aslyum-seekers and those who can't afford or access them.

Question 4

WHY DON'T YOU ACCEPT PHYSICAL PRODUCT DONATIONS ANYMORE?

Accepted Answer

Because we've changed our way of working, babes!   In the last 18 months we've refined a way of working that's helped us meet much higher levels of demand (compared to pre-Covid), and now we're making a permanent switch to that model.    This updated way of working is a brilliant way of working because….well, in short, because we can get more products out to more people, across a bigger geographical area! Those products are also the ones SPECIFICALLY requested by the people we work with—guaranteed to be brand new and in-date. This model also means we have reduced costs - including no storage space cost - so more money for more pads honey!   You can be bloody awesome and donate here, or find out about organising a little (or big!) fundraiser here. You can also read more about our new way of working here. THANK YOU!

Question 5

WHAT ABOUT MENSTRUAL CUPS, PERIOD PANTS AND WASHABLE PADS?"

Accepted Answer

Bloody Good Period provides period products to refugees, asylum seekers and those who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford or access them. We have always prioritised the needs of the people we work with, trusting them to know which period products they prefer to use, or would like to try. We are mostly asked for disposable products, and we have increasingly included eco-friendly products in that provision. We also distribute menstrual cups, reusable pads and period pants. We have also been able to provide more information and support to those who would like to try reusable products, via our menstrual, sexual and reproductive health education sessions. We find that group support, expert knowledge and space to ask questions is often vital - it’s not just about giving out as many cups as we can, but allowing people to understand and work with their bodies in an entirely different way.   We are pleased to have been able to distribute a growing volume of reusable products in the last year in particular. We have always recognised that there is no one way to manage everyone’s periods, or one magic solution to period poverty. As a small and growing charity, we also always planned to provide the right support to enable a greater switch to reusables over time, and are thrilled that this change is now happening - whilst also maintaining our focus on meeting the needs of the women and people we work with.    Reusable products are not suitable for everyone, or a universal solution to period poverty. For example, refugees and asylum seekers generally live in accommodation without reliable access to lockable bathrooms to be able to practice using cups; or reliable washing facilities to keep cups or reusable pads clean. Many have also suffered trauma, at minimum displacement and the journey to reach this country, but possibly also including FGM, which makes using cups difficult or impossible. Our absolute focus, therefore, is always on getting women and people who menstruate the products they are familiar with and feel comfortable with. If you want to learn more, have a listen to Gabby talking about product preference on Reni Eddo-Lodge’s About Race podcast.

*Please remember, our way of working has now changed, so we're unable to accept any physical donations of any products. Please don't send us any, thanks ever so.*

Question 6

WHAT ABOUT TAMPONS?

Accepted Answer

Tampons are simply not as popular as pads with the people we work with. We only give away about 1 pack of tampons for every 500 packs of pads!

*Please remember, our way of working has now changed, so we're unable to accept any physical donations of any products. Please don't send us any, thanks ever so.*

Question 7

DO BGP DO ANYTHING BEYOND DISTRIBUTING PERIOD PRODUCTS?

Accepted Answer

Damn right we do! We raise awareness of period poverty and how it affects women and people who menstruate living in poverty (read our report here). We talk about periods, helping to make them a normal, comfortable topic of conversation for everyone (check out our social feeds). We run education sessions for asylum seekers, refugees, and people that cannot normally access it. We're setting up a programme to help workplaces be Bloody Good Employers. Yep, we are all bloody over it.

Question 8

I WANT TO HELP! HOW DO I GET INVOLVED?

Accepted Answer

We would bloody love you to! Check out the options here!

Question 9

DOES BGP WORK IN SCHOOLS?

Accepted Answer

We don't work with schools or colleges, so unfortunately are unable to provide products or other support to these institutions.  The Government's scheme to provide free period products to all English schools scheme has now launched - find further guidance here.  We are delighted that so many schools are passionate about ending period poverty and are keen to fundraise for us - and we've made a special fundraising pack for you! Here it is!

Question 10

DO YOU OFFER INTERNSHIPS / WORK PLACEMENTS?

Accepted Answer

We work with other organisations, including academic institutions, to recruit interns to join the BGP team. These internships are always paid. As we are a small team, we only have capacity to work with a very limited number of interns each year. Internship projects always align with our organisational objectives and workplans, as well as ensuring interns gain valuable work experience and development opportunities within an intersectional feminist, activist organisation. We are unable to accept speculative applications.

ABOUT US

Menstrual supplies are not cheap, but for anyone with a period, they are, of course, an absolute necessity.

OUR VISION

Recognising the trauma and anxiety caused by not having access to essential menstrual products; our vision is of a society in which asylum seekers, refugees and otherwise displaced people and their dependents have unrestricted access to high quality, free period supplies of their choice.

OUR VALUES

MEET THE TEAM

All working safely at home/living on Zoom RN

Elysha Paige

Becca Liversidge

Joe Gray

Seyi Falodun-Liburd

Terri Harris

Rachel Grocott

Nikki Iyayi

Emma Defoe

Gabby
Jahanshahi-Edlin

Michelle McIntosh:

Amina

Lise

OUR BLOODY AMAZING TRUSTEES

Ruby Bayley

Sue Rubenstein

Fiona Yeung

Shakiba Moghadam

OUR AMBASSADORS

Bunch of bloody legends, spreading the BGP word

Cariad Lloyd

Jen Brister

Kenny Ethan Jones

Emma Breschi

Lauren Layfield

Lex Horwitz

Nahla Mahmoud

We also run a Leadership and Community Development
Programme for BPOC BGP Team Members.

We're so proud to share our evaluation of the first complete year of BGP’s Leadership and Community Development Programme for BPOC team members, devised at the end of 2019.