Nurses and health visitors in Gateshead are marking International Nurses Day by swapping cake for underwear as part of a period poverty campaign.
Growing Healthy Gateshead – part of Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust – is celebrating International Nurses Day, which took place yesterday, by offering cake to their staff at Tyne View Centre and Gateshead Civic Centre.
But, in exchange for a slice of cake, staff have been asked to provide a pair of new knickers which the service will be supplying to schools in Gateshead as part of ‘period poverty’. ‘Period poverty’ refers to having a lack of access to sanitary products due to financial constraints. Recent studies have shown that one third of the UK population have experienced poverty in recent years, with women being one of the most vulnerable groups.
Staff in the service, led by School Nurse Rachel Allan, have raised 90 packs of underwear in total as part of the initiative, which is to raise awareness of period poverty and allow young people to stay in school during their periods. They will be distributed to schools across Gateshead.
The service uses every opportunity to raise funds for sanitary products, and has recently identified an additional need for underwear to support the young girls they care for to stay in school.
Growing Healthy Gateshead provides the 0-19 Healthy Child Programme, and is an integrated service for families, expectant mothers, children and young people that offers interventions from the pre-natal stage up to the age of 19.
ENDS
Pictured: Staff in the Growing Healthy Gateshead service have raised 90 packs of underwear in total.
For further information please contact: Jamie Wright, Communications and Marketing Assistant, [email protected] and 01423 557732.