Community Group of the Year and Charity Champion or Volunteer of the Year nominee – Period Power and Linda Allbutt

Community Group of the Year and Charity Champion or Volunteer of the Year nominee – Period Power and Linda Allbutt

Staffordshire charity Period Power is leading the fight against period poverty with its mission to ensure that every woman and girl should have access to period products.

Set up seven years ago by Linda Allbutt, from Eccleshall, Period Power also aims to take away the stigma around talking about periods.

It supplies basic period products to nearly 200 schools and has worked with Stoke-on-Trent City Council to help it to become the first Period Dignity City Council in England by providing period products in all 180 of the council’s ladies’ and disabled toilets.

The work is done by Linda, a team of fellow trustees and youth volunteers.

Now Period Power has been nominated as a Community Group of the Year and 72-year-old Linda has been nominated as a Charity Champion or Volunteer of the Year in the Your Heroes Awards.

Linda said: “I am flattered and humbled. We don’t do it for the recognition. The team I work with are great and they’re all volunteers committed to fighting this injustice. We see ourselves as activists for the cause.”

She said she had initially hoped that Period Power would only be needed for one year but, seven years later, it is needed more than ever.

“We’re all frustrated. We hoped that access for girls and women would get better, but it seems to have gotten worse. We seem to be firefighting all the time.

“Logistically, it’s becoming more difficult, but we always find a way around it.”

Period Power’s work doesn’t stop at providing products. Linda has been vocal in pushing for change on a national level, writing to MPs and advocating for improved working facilities so that women across the country have access to basic period care.

“We’ve seen some progress but the problem is still nationwide and too many girls are without the basics.”