Last year we introduced a free period product scheme across the academic campus, as a joint project between the School of Life Sciences and the Estates team (SEF), working with local volunteers in schools, divisions and the SEF cleaning teams to monitor its use and restock as needed.
Fifteen Natracare dispensers were installed across multiple buildings, providing free period products for anyone who needs them. These were installed as a follow-up to an initiative started by the Period Dignity Project (PDP), expanding upon an existing trial of two dispensers in the Schools of Life Sciences and Media, Arts and Humanities.
Where we are a year later
Since establishing thee PDP in 2019, we have seen a huge uptake in the scheme with close to 100,000 period products now distributed for people who menstruate.
In the last year, the dispenser scheme alone has distributed 17,220 pads and 20,500 tampons, for a total of 37,720 items.
In addition to the work previously achieved by the Period Dignity Project, which prior to the scheme starting had shared 29,212 products across the wider campus community plus 29,462 in the School of Life Sciences alone, this makes a grand total of 96,394 free products shared to the campus community.
Kristy Flowers, Senior Technical Manager at the School of Life Sciences and co-founder of the Period Dignity Project, commented on the success of the initiative so far:
"This is a staggering achievement for a project supported by volunteers on the campus and the PDP could not have reached an even wider audience without the support of the Estates team, especially the cleaning teams working hard behind the scenes.
"We believe access to period products are a person’s right and if this wider provision of products helps more women, non-binary people and trans men to deal with all the other stressors in their day with work, education and life in general then to me that is a win.”
More information
See a detailed list of dispenser locations and more information on the project.
If you find a dispenser is empty, you can let us know via contact information next to each dispenser.
If you have any questions or ideas, you can contact the project team at period.dignity@sussex.ac.uk, and follow the project for more updates at @perioddignityproject on Instagram.
The Students’ Union additionally provides free period products at the Falmer House reception, and during their weekly Free Wednesday events during termtime.