Helping manage periods confidently

20 Feb 2026 11:31 AM

Free period products and open conversations about menstrual health are now available to families across Wales, with funding helping to break stigma and tackle period poverty.

The Welsh Government’s Period Dignity Grant, totalling over £3.45 million, provides free products in every school and college in Wales, and in hundreds of other venues, including libraries, leisure centres, food banks, youth hubs and sports clubs. This funding is helping to remove barriers around periods and ensure no one misses education, work or life because they cannot access the products they need.

One example of the difference this funding can make is the volunteer-led Period Positivity Project at the Family Action FOOD Club at Fairwater Primary School in Cardiff. The project provides free period products and educational resources, creating safe spaces to talk about menstrual health. Around 30 people attend sessions each week, and the project prioritises environmentally friendly products wherever possible.

FOOD Club Co-ordinator, Steve Glavin, said:

When we asked what other support our members needed, free period products was by far the most frequent answer, so we were delighted to receive a Period Dignity Grant to launch our Period Positivity Project.

Our members tell us that it has made a real difference, not only in terms of easing the pressure on family budgets but also in creating a safe space to talk openly and destigmatise the issue. We have also worked with our host school to provide period products and educational resources to engage with the students on this important topic.

Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Jane Hutt, visited the project this week. She said:

It was great to see the project in action at Fairwater Primary. I could see how it's helping families and young people access products and talk openly about periods in a supportive environment. Period products are essential items and should be freely available to everyone who needs them. Through the Period Dignity Grant, we are funding projects across Wales that help eradicate period poverty and ensure periods can be managed with dignity.

Menstrual health is one of the priority areas in the Welsh Government’s Women’s Health Plan. Since 2018, the Period Dignity Fund has supported hundreds of projects across Wales, helping local initiatives give people the confidence to discuss and manage periods safely, confidently and without shame.