7th June 2022, Walton on Thames Surrey UK
The UK’s first period charity Binti International, opens the doors to the UK’s first period charity shop in Walton on Thames. Award winning actor Nina Wadia officially opened the shop in celebration of Menstrual Health Day May 28th. The opening of the charity shop celebrated the first anniversary of the ‘Dignity at Work’ initiative with Surrey County Council (SCC), which saw SCC become the first council in England to provide free period products across 55 sites including libraries, their offices, retail stores, public buildings and places of worship.
Binti’s Dignity At Work campaign ensures access to products to those that need them and works towards removing the stigma attached to periods. Surrey County Council has been tackling the issue head on by ensuring that there is support for girls and women across the county, to ease the challenges and ensure that everyone can menstruate with dignity.
Cabinet Member for Communities, Mark Nuti said “One year on, Period Dignity is still an amazing initiative to ensure that no one is left behind in our community. As people are struggling financially more now than ever, it will become increasingly important to keep donating menstrual products to 55 of our donation locations to help those that need it most. Period products should be available to anyone who needs them, without stigma or shame, so I urge everyone to do their part in period dignity in Surrey and get involved”.
The charity shop will be more than a retail store and will include a space for menstrual health workshops, Binti’s menstrual education information, menstrual artwork, various types of period products including biodegradable, reusable products, menstrual cup demonstrations, free period products and more.
CEO of Binti International, Manjit K Gill MBE says “As we think about the cost of the living crisis in the UK, inevitably women always suffer more. If we all admit to using toilet paper to manage our period when we get caught short, it’s easy to see that we need period products in all public spaces. With the prices of period products increasing, I believe that more than ever, all public buildings should have free period products for those that need them.
Our ‘Dignity At Work’ initiative has proven that it’s self-sustainable and that as a society we are able to continue creating a stable ecosystem without masses of external funding with many donating and paying it forward to support other women to menstruate with dignity. The plan is to cement the charity shop into a hub for education, open forum discussion and a safe space for people that want to find out more about smashing shame around periods and menstruating with dignity”.
“It’s that time of the month…It’s the world’s first period charity shop by Binti international opening right here in Surrey creating a safe, open space for women to give and get help for their own health. It’s about time!” Said, Nina Wadia OBE Actor, Comedienne and Ambassador to the Charity.
Binti International thanks all of our volunteers, Surrey County Council, Temporary Use Aid Charity and the Management at the Heart Shopping centre for their support.
ENDS
Editors Notes:
Why is eradicating the stigma around periods vital?
Most women in the UK use toilet paper to manage their periods in between buying period products.
A ground-breaking survey by period product manufacturer TOTM in February 2020,* revealed the impact of also not having period products in the workplace. When asked how they felt in that situation, the results were;
- 80% said they worry about their period at work
- 80% said their offices didn’t have a period product vending machine.
- 76% said their period had disrupted their working day
● #BintiPeriod #PeriodDignitySurrey #PeriodCharityShop @BintiPeriod
● More about the Dignity at work campaign www.bintiperiod.org/Dignity
● To sign up to Dignity At Work contact Hello@binti.co.uk
● Download the Binti APP on iOS and Android – Binti Period
Contact: Manjit K Gill
Phone: 07779800228
Email: Manjit@binti.co.uk
