Red Relief - where to access free menstrual products

Helping People in Southend Get Free Period Products

Some people in the UK are finding it hard to afford basic things, like period products. This is also true in Southend.

In a survey, 61% of people said they are struggling to pay for pads or tampons. The UK Youth Parliament's decided to prioritise tackling period poverty and we felt that this issue needed to be addressed at a local level.

People in Southend told us they were worried, and we listened.

We’re happy to say that the Southend Red Relief Scheme has now got funding from The Southend Health and Wellbeing Board. This means free period products will be available in public places like libraries, museums, and galleries that the Council owns - making them as readily available as toilet paper.

This is an important step to help everyone feel safe, clean, and able to go to school, work, or enjoy their day without worry.

It’s a small but essential step toward protecting dignity and ensuring no one in our community is held back in their education, work, or daily life due to a lack of access.  Thank you to everyone who has supported and advocated for this initiative — your voices made this possible!

Jocelyn Ayao, Member of Youth Parliament

You can see the full list of places and opening times below...