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The Homeless Period: My 100

1
So here I am starting another article with George Osborne and my vagina. I’m not really sure how I got here, I really didn’t intend for these two things to collide, blog related or otherwise but yet here I am, sitting at my laptop talking politics and pussy once again. Since I wrote that article, I’ve had a lot of people contact me and show their support by signing the petition set up by Laura Coryton. I think its fair to say the general consensus is that the tampon tax should be stopped and with the petition now exceeding 300,000 signatures hopefully
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we are well on our way to seeing that happen.T

Through that piece of writing I became aware of The Homeless Period petition, a campaign to give homeless shelters an allowance to buy sanitary products. Currently, charities aren’t receiving any extra help with this and they are dipping into donated funds to purchase them (inc. paying the luxury tax of course).

I had never really thought about this before, I am incredibly lucky and have never been in this situation. Its never really occurred to me what a woman with no home, no money does when she

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gets her period. Does she ask for them from shelters? Do they give her enough? Does she buy tampons instead of food that week? Does she steal them? Does she hoard wads of toilet paper and stuff it down her knickers? Would that even work?

When I was a teenager I would die of embarrassment from just buying the things.

How stupid we can be.

You know we all have access to free condoms right? Well that’s great but why don’t vulnerable women in need, have access to free sanitary products?
This week I’m on my period and well its pretty bloody

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inconvenient. One or two nights it means getting up and going downstairs to the toilet, instead of falling straight back to sleep. I wanted to take Finley swimming this weekend and yes I know I still can but it always proves to be an extra complication, in an already stressful situation. The Family Changing Cubicle is no place for a menstruating Mother, with a runaway toddler who has a tendency to ask very loud and embarrassing questions. I also just feel a bit ’meh’ and I’ve had a couple of period induced headaches.

But at least I have the means

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to buy tampons and ibuprofen. At least I am clean.

In the spirit of this campaign, I’ve set up a GoFundMe page to buy sanitary products for a shelter in my local area. I’m not asking for £50 or £20 or even £10. I’m looking for one hundred people to donate the cost of two packs of tampons or sanitary pads.

So whats that . . . £5?

If 100 people donate £5 each, that’s five hundred pounds worth of products, more if I get them in a deal. Imagine how embarrassed my teenage self would have been checking that lot out! If we reach the target

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I’ll throw in a photo of this happening, just as a thank you!

Would you like to be one of my 100 and help vulnerable women in need during their most inconvenient time of the month?

If so you can visit and donate here.

 

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- 18 Feb 16

So here I am starting another article with George Osborne and my vagina. I’m not really sure how I got here, I really didn’t intend for these two things to collide, blog related or otherwise but yet here I am, sitting at my laptop talking politics and pussy once again. Since I wrote that article, I’ve had a lot of people contact me and show their support by signing the petition set up by Laura Coryton. I think its fair to say the general consensus is that the tampon tax should be stopped and with the petition now exceeding 300,000 signatures hopefully we are well on our way to seeing that happen.T

Through that piece of writing I became aware of The Homeless Period petition, a campaign to give homeless shelters an allowance to buy sanitary products. Currently, charities aren’t receiving any extra help with this and they are dipping into donated funds to purchase them (inc. paying the luxury tax of course).

I had never really thought about this before, I am incredibly lucky and have never been in this situation. Its never really occurred to me what a woman with no home, no money does when she gets her period. Does she ask for them from shelters? Do they give her enough? Does she buy tampons instead of food that week? Does she steal them? Does she hoard wads of toilet paper and stuff it down her knickers? Would that even work?

When I was a teenager I would die of embarrassment from just buying the things.

How stupid we can be.

You know we all have access to free condoms right? Well that’s great but why don’t vulnerable women in need, have access to free sanitary products?
This week I’m on my period and well its pretty bloody inconvenient. One or two nights it means getting up and going downstairs to the toilet, instead of falling straight back to sleep. I wanted to take Finley swimming this weekend and yes I know I still can but it always proves to be an extra complication, in an already stressful situation. The Family Changing Cubicle is no place for a menstruating Mother, with a runaway toddler who has a tendency to ask very loud and embarrassing questions. I also just feel a bit ‘meh’ and I’ve had a couple of period induced headaches.

But at least I have the means to buy tampons and ibuprofen. At least I am clean.

In the spirit of this campaign, I’ve set up a GoFundMe page to buy sanitary products for a shelter in my local area. I’m not asking for £50 or £20 or even £10. I’m looking for one hundred people to donate the cost of two packs of tampons or sanitary pads.

So whats that . . . £5?

If 100 people donate £5 each, that’s five hundred pounds worth of products, more if I get them in a deal. Imagine how embarrassed my teenage self would have been checking that lot out! If we reach the target I’ll throw in a photo of this happening, just as a thank you!

Would you like to be one of my 100 and help vulnerable women in need during their most inconvenient time of the month?

If so you can visit and donate here.

 

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MUM, WIFE, WORKER, CAT LOVER. TRUTH IS I'M A SOCIALLY AWKWARD WINE DRINKER WHO WATCHES TOO MUCH GREY'S ANATOMY AND EATS FAR TOO MUCH CAKE.

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