Carmarthenshire Youth Council support young women

Many young people have been supported with free period products during lockdown by Carmarthen Youth Council and Carmarthenshire Youth Support Services.

The team at Carmarthenshire County Council has arranged deliveries and mailed nearly 6,000 period items to young women who have been struggling to access them due to the closure of schools, colleges and youth clubs in response to the Coronavirus pandemic.

Now restrictions are easing, the team are looking for businesses across Carmarthenshire such as cafes and shops who will stock them during the summer break.

Last year the youth council were allocated £13,437 of a Welsh Government grant to buy a range of eco-friendly and reusable products to hand out.

Carmarthenshire’s Period Poverty Champion, council Deputy Leader Cllr Mair Stephens said: “A lot of young women rely on these free products and we’ve been making sure that they haven’t gone without throughout lockdown either by posting them out or by doing home deliveries.

“We are looking for local businesses such as cafes and shops to help out by stocking them whilst the schools and colleges are closed for the summer term.”

The aim of the scheme is to make sure girls do not miss out on their education because they do not have adequate protection during their period and to change people’s attitudes towards menstruation so that it is no longer a ‘taboo’ subject.

Youth Council member, Amber Treharne, said: “We would like to thank everyone who has supported our work, it’s been a big help for us to ensure young girls can get free sanitary products at such difficult times. Together, we can now move one step forward to ensuring period dignity is something that every young girl can have in Carmarthenshire.”

If you are struggling to access free period products or are a business who is happy to stock them then please contact participation@carmarthenshire.gov.uk Alternatively, you can pick up the products from the Hwbs.