Bloody Good Period
Apr 5, 20223 min
Dear Friends and Supporters of Bloody Good Period,
I am writing to you today with some bittersweet news. After founding the charity, Bloody Good Period in 2016, I have decided that it is time for me to step down from my position as CEO and move to pastures new.
This is not a decision I have taken lightly, and I am fortunate to have had the full support of the Board of Trustees, as well as my wonderful team who have overwhelmed me with support and love since I told them my decision. I leave behind me a strong and capable group of people and a gloriously joyful charity with a solid, exciting strategy.
We have made enormous strides in the realm of menstrual equity since I set up BGP with a single Facebook status, but there is still a huge amount of work to be done. And I wholeheartedly trust that it will be accomplished in the years to come. I am delighted to be handing over the reins to Rachel Grocott. Rachel has worked with me for four years; her first day landed on Menstrual Health Day 2018 - that’s like Santa’s first day being 25th December - and is a hugely respected member of the senior team, and the woman responsible for all of BGP’s Communications and Public Fundraising. I have no doubt that she will flourish in the role, and that everyone who comes across BGP will benefit from her calming presence, compassion and intelligence (and maybe, also, her love of Strictly Come Dancing!)
The past five and a half years has been the most exciting, rewarding and challenging time of my life, and in that period (lol), I am beyond proud to have built a smart, reliable, warm, competent, compassionate and creative team who ensure that nobody goes without period products, that asylum seeking and refugee women and people who menstruate get the menstrual education they deserve, and that periods are normalised and shame-free. Furthermore, I have had the absolute honour of building this organisation with committed and energetic volunteers, and been lucky enough to meet with and listen to the people we work with - the experts by experience - over the years via our dedicated and energetic partner centres and education programme. I know that our board of trustees will shepherd the charity into its next phase, with love, sensitivity and a whole lot of bloody excellent experience.
My last day will be at the end of May, followed by a big old party so we can all celebrate the last 5 and a half years together.
I believe that it’s the responsibility of a good founder to know when it’s time to say goodbye, and to trust that the team they’ve built and support they’ve harnessed will be OK without them. I know that the team, and our wonderful supporters, partners, creatives, volunteers and people we work with will be more than OK. They will do wonderful, bloody brilliant things together.
I decided not long after posting that facebook status in 2016, that I wanted to use my creativity for good, and see if I could build a feminist organisation that challenges the harmful conventions too frequently employed by the charity sector and makes actual social change through joy, love, and humour. I think I did that.
Thank you for reading, and for your incredible continued support.
As ever, in love, blood and solidarity,
Gabby Edlin