Colchester based environment charity, en-form launches a new project, ‘Love your flow’ focussed on giving individuals more choice and ready access to healthier, environmentally friendlier, and cheaper period products.

The National Lottery has granted funding to provide workshops across Essex providing information and resources that will enable better health and environmental choices when it comes to management of menstruating. As part of the project, they will be training individuals and teachers across primary and secondary schools to educate pupils and other groups on the various choices there are for managing their periods. As well as this they want to make schools aware of the free sanitary wear, they can offer their students.

Currently, they are looking to recruit people and teachers, particularly those who teach PHSE or period education, to train to be reusable sanitary wear ambassadors.

Those interested in becoming Ambassadors will receive free training in May and be paid to deliver workshops to local schools, colleges and other organisations.

Grace Darke, project manager at en-form said ‘Love your Flow’ is a very important project that will benefit individuals and the local community in many ways. 1 in 10 girls in the UK are unable to afford proper sanitary wear. Many schools for instance may be able to access free sanitary wear for its students, including reusable sanitary wear, which do not have the health risks associated with disposables and keep the ongoing cost of sanitary wear low.’

An average menstruating individual uses up to 15,000 disposable pads or tampons in their life. On average, they spend £5,000 in a lifetime on sanitary products. A yearly expenditure of £200. Reusable pads can last several years meaning far less waste and cost. Reusable sanitary wear is better for human health, environmental health and they’re cheaper. It’s not about making women feel guilty about their menstrual choices but making them fully aware of the choices available to them, sadly many people are unaware of the choice. We want to help menstruating individuals know their choices and give them full guidance and access to choose the right sanitary wear for them.

Help your school and community to be greener, healthier and help us tackle period poverty.

If you’d like more details of how to become an ambassador, or to book a workshop please e-mail ecocolchester@en-form.org.uk.

For more information on the project see our website for details:  https://en-form.org.uk/love-your-flow/