Kate Smith, Director of Hey Girls which is dedicated to 'revolutionising' periods, reflects on the first year of the Period Products Act which provides free access to period products in Scotland.
The historic Period Products Act came into force on August 15 last year, making Scotland the first country in the world to make the access to free period products a legal right.
Hey Girls, which has donated more than 30 million period products to those experiencing period poverty, played a key role in campaigning for the law and has worked with both the Scottish Government and local authorities in making it a reality.
Our donations are generated through sales to commercial partners, many of whom are national facilities management companies.
All profits are invested into fighting period poverty in the United Kingdom.
I cannot explain the feeling of elation when the law came into force.
For too long, people had been forced to feel excluded from society because of something as natural as their period – but now, thanks to our collective voice, we have achieved something incredible.
Now, everyone can access the free period products they deserve.
Before the act came into law, around one in four people were thought to live in period poverty
It is an amazing achievement for Scotland.
Hey Girls also worked with sister organisation, charity MyPeriod, to develop the world-first PickupMyPeriod app – displaying the locations of free period product pickup points across the country.
The app has since gone on to win the Tech for Good Award at the UK Social Enterprise Awards, while Hey Girls as a whole took home the Social Enterprise of the Year Award from Social Enterprise Scotland last year.
We also work with local authorities across Scotland to provide home delivery kits for those in more rural areas or who cannot access nearby pickup points.
The benefits of the Period Products Act will continue to blossom for years to come, although our fight is far from over.
Our attention is now turning to Westminster and ensuring that people across the UK have the legal right to access free period products.
Only then will we be able to end period poverty in the UK once and for all.
