A PROJECT just set up in Basingstoke is aiming to tackle ‘period poverty’ in school age girls.

The Red Box Project is a nationwide campaign with a Basingstoke arm set up around three weeks ago with the aim to ensure no girls miss school through lack of access to sanitary products.

The idea of the project is to have red boxes in supermarkets and convenience stores and, in a manner similar to food banks, take donations of sanitary towels, tampons and new underwear, but also flannels, baby wipes and body sprays, to then be distributed largely in schools but also in places like community centres.

The box is kept in school at reception, with the nurse, student services or with an appropriate member of staff and posters placed in the girls’ toilets to encourage any young woman in need of sanitary items to ask for the red box and take what she needs.

Kayleigh Damon, who is one of the co-ordinators for the Basingstoke project, said: “I found about Red Box through my sister as she runs the Peterborough branch. I told her what she is doing is fantastic and I found out there was no-one doing it in Basingstoke so I thought I would do it. I saw an interview with a homeless woman recently who put her situation down to missing school through anxiety and embarrassment over not being able to afford sanitary products.

“No girl should have to go through that and miss out on education.”

McColls in Buckland Avenue, and The Ridgeway Centre, in Buckskin, have already signed up to the scheme with Morrisons Basingstoke offering a trial which began this weekend and talks beginning with the Tadley branch of Sainsbury’s. The Morrisons trial began on Saturday with a stall in the entrance to the store with shoppers donating an array of items and £39 in cash.

Kayleigh, with fellow co-ordinator Jane Aylward, hopes to use the summer to build up donations of supplies to then cover as many schools as possible in the autumn term.

To find out more about the scheme, search for The Red Box Project Basingstoke on Facebook.