Queen Mary provides free period products from a number of locations on our campuses. We’re providing these products to support our staff and students with their menstrual health and reduce the impact of period poverty for our communities.
What is period poverty?
Period poverty is both a global and local issue, where women and people who menstruate are unable to afford or access period products. This can have a major impact on our ability to work and study, as well as significant health risks where period products aren’t used correctly.
We believe that no one should be disadvantaged because they can’t afford appropriate period products, which is why we’re working toward period equality by providing free products available for every member of our community.
Sustainable period products
In the UK, disposable period products produce more than 200,000 tonnes of waste each year, with plastic products taking up to 500 years to break down in landfill. The products available from our dispensers are plastic-free, made from 100% sustainably sourced organic cotton, and come in compostable or recyclable packaging.
Currently our campus dispensers stock 100% certified organic cotton tampons, and we are working towards supplying reusable products in the future.
Where can I find free period products on Queen Mary campuses?
Currently, products are available in the following locations. We’re working to make installation of dispensers standard when we open or refurbish campus facilities.
|
Building |
Location |
|
Mile End Library |
First floor gender neutral toilets |
|
Whitechapel Library |
Basement female toilet |
|
West Smithfield Library |
Basement accessible toilet |
|
Francis Bancroft Building |
Ground floor gender neutral toilet (behind Mucci’s) |
|
Maths Building |
Upper first floor female toilet |
|
Arts One |
Ground floor female toilet (by Mile End Road) |
|
Graduate Centre |
Second floor female toilet Seventh floor female toilet |
|
Garrod Building |
Ground floor accessible toilet |
|
The Shield, Dawson Hall |
Accessible toilet |
|
Lincoln’s Inn Fields |
Ground floor accessible toilet |
Visit the Queen Mary website to find maps of our campuses.
More information
For details of the financial support available to our students, visit the Advice and Counselling website.
Welfare Advisers in the Advice and Counselling Service can provide confidential, professional money advice for all Queen Mary students, including prospective students. They can also advise students who need to leave their family home unexpectedly and need emergency financial support, students who are independent of their family, or who are forced migrants.
Being denied access to money to meet basic health needs, like buying period products, is a form of abuse. Visit our website to find out more about the support available from Queen Mary for people experiencing gender-based violence and abuse.
Useful resources
- Information from the NHS about heavy periods
- Information and support from Endometriosis UK
- Information about Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) from Verity PCOS UK
- Watch activist, model and entrepeneur Kenny Ethan Jones talk about his experience of periods as a trans man and why representation is important
