Yorkshire Water brings period poverty dignity education and practical support to WomenZone, Bradford (4)

Yorkshire Water brought period dignity education to a community volunteering day at WomenZone in Bradford to help support women in the city. 

The visit was used to deliver an adapted dignity and education session in partnership with Hey Girls, a UK social enterprise working to end period poverty. The session focused on menstrual health, sustainable period products and the support available to customers, including advice on blockage prevention and Yorkshire Water’s Priority Services Register. 

The visit marked the first time the education programme had been delivered to an adult community group, building on the wider success of the Yorkshire Water and Hey Girls partnership across the region. 

Through the collaboration, Yorkshire Water and Hey Girls are delivering period education and providing 20,000 reusable, sustainable period product starter packs across Yorkshire, helping tackle period poverty while encouraging more sustainable choices. Period products are one of the leading causes of sewer blockages, and the partnership also helps reduce the number of products flushed into the sewer network.  

Anne Reed, social value and education manager at Yorkshire Water, said: “Our Hey Girls period education sessions have been very successful with schools in the region and this event at WomenZone was the first time we’ve talked about these important issues with adult women. We’re really pleased to able to provide this information to our local communities and to help people who may be struggling with period poverty or issues related to menstrual health. 

“To combine the session with volunteering to improve the outdoor space was a bonus and something we hope will help WomenZone with the important work they do to support women in Bradford.” 

During the WomenZone session, attendees received practical resources including blockage prevention kits and Hey Girls starter packs, with one-to-one follow-up available to ensure everyone could fully take part. 

As well as the education sessions, members of Yorkshire Water’s waste non-infrastructure team volunteered their time to help improve WomenZone’s outdoor space, carrying out gardening and maintenance work to support the charity’s work with women across Bradford. 

The volunteering day highlighted the values of partnerships working, combining volunteering, education and customer support to deliver lasting impact for women in the local community.