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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Maya Oppenheim

‘Periods don’t stop because there is a cost of living crisis’: Period poverty soars to record levels

Getty/iStock

The number of women turning to food banks and charities for free pads and tampons in England and Wales has soared to record levels, new figures suggest.

Bloody Good Period, a charity that helps provide other organisations with pads and menstrual supplies, says it has seen a 43 per cent surge in monthly product requests – rising from almost 43,000 in January to June last year to more than 61,000 packs in the first half of 2023. It comes as women in the UK continue to face higher prices for period products despite the so-called tampon tax being axed nearly three years ago.

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