Struggling students offered free period products

Free period products are being offered to struggling university students in an effort to tackle period poverty.

Students at Bournemouth University in Dorset now have access to tampons and sanitary towels on site.

The university said it wanted to help students navigate university while managing the high cost of living.

Sanitary towels and tampons will be available in bathrooms and communal areas in most buildings on its Lansdowne campus and its Talbot campus in Poole.

The initiative is jointly funded by the university and students' union, which started supplying free sanitary products in the student centre building in 2018.

The university described menstrual hygiene as a "fundamental aspect of wellbeing".

"This new initiative is not just about providing free products - it's about creating an inclusive and supportive environment where all students can engage fully at university without the burden of additional challenges related to menstruation," a spokesperson said.

Students have been urged to be mindful and to only take a menstrual product if they needed it.

Products that are "better for the environment" have been chosen, supplied by period care company TOTM.

The business said it used "sustainably-sourced certified organic cotton" in its tampons, pads, and liners, as well as opting for cardboard applicators instead of plastic.

In March, Newsbeat spoke to 71 organisations, including food banks and women's centres, that hand out thousands of free period products each year.

Six out of 10 said they had struggled to keep up with demand for period products in 2023.

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