Period poverty is a lack of access to sanitary products due to financial reasons – and it is surprisingly common.
What was already an issue has grown substantially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, with research suggesting that 30% of girls aged 14-21 have struggle to afford to access menstrual products during lockdown (Plan International UK, 2020).
Thankfully, a local charity is lending a helping hand to ensure that no-one should face this struggle alone.
Every Month is providing people with free access to menstrual products every month.
The packs, which contain an assortment of tampons, pads and a chocolate bar, are donated to food banks, charities and shelters across the country.
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Not only are staff helping people experiencing poverty across Manchester to have safer, more comfortable periods, but they’re also making a massive impact.
In 2020 alone, the charity distributed over 120,000 period products.
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Although Every Month was established a few years ago, 2020 was its most difficult year and a time when its services were needed most.
Due to the ongoing lockdown, the charity witnessed a substantial increase in the number of individuals requiring Every Month packs, and simultaneously finding supplies was a struggle as supermarkets placed limits on how many items could be purchased.
Typically making around 800 packs every month, this has increased to over 1000 due to the effects of the pandemic.
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However, this resilient local charity ensured that no-one would go without during the pandemic, raising their efforts to tackle period poverty in a variety of ways.
From hosting at-home packing parties to a variety of online fundraising methods, volunteers have continued to provide sanitary products to those most in need at this difficult time.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CLWRCJpAbEq/
The latest fundraising event is the ‘Menstrual Miles Challenge’, which is to take place between 8-14 March.
Every Month is asking people to join volunteers in completing 14.5 menstrual miles, whether that’s by running, cycling, or any other way that they fancy.
This is also to celebrate the 120,000 tampons and pads that they have donated in the past 12 months, which is equivalent to 14.5 miles when placed side-by-side.
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If you are experiencing period poverty, Every Month is here to help.
You can find out which food banks and shelters they regularly donate to on their website.
Keep up-to-date with any fundraising activities and how you can help through their Instagram and Facebook.
What's On
Embrace announce intimate live show in beloved Bury music venue
Danny Jones
British alternative veterans Embrace have announced another intimate show here in Greater Manchester, only this time it’s over in Bury at a stunning small-cap arts venue.
It’s not often you get to see such a long-standing band play outside of the city centre so far into their career, especially in gorgeous grassroots spaces like this one.
A fellow Northern outfit, they’ve often been lumped in with that ‘post-Britpop’ era of music, and plenty throw around the so-called ‘dad rock’ label, but honestly, we couldn’t care either way: they remain among the UK’s perennially underappreciated underdogs that never get old, as far as we’re concerned.
Revealing a handful of new live dates for their album launch this summer, they’ll be making just two appearances in the North West on the run.
Writing in the post, the group said: “We’ve lined up a run of exclusive UK dates in venues that are some of the smallest we’ve played in years. It’s going to be special, but capacity is extremely limited.”
As you can see, besides the Jacaranda Baltic in Liverpool, the only other place in this region where they’re set to play for this mini tour is The Met over in Bury.
One of the most beautiful gig spots, not just in the town but in all the 10 boroughs, for our money, the room only holds around 400 standing and roughly 250 seats.
For seasoned artists like this lot, who are more used to playing big festival stages and big domestic headline tours – which they’re also doing later this year – it’s sure to be a special night.
Toasting the release of their ninth studio LP, Avalanche, this spin-off on the tried and tested in-store format wouldn’t be possible without the help of local record store, Wax and Beans, who are promoting and hosting the show.
But we can’t lie, there’s something about the idea of seeing them decades on from when they first tightly-packed out crowds of this size.
If you want to be part of the Embrace album launch tour, you can get ready to grab your tickets at 10am this Friday, 27 March, right HERE. And speaking of great record shops…
Yard Act announce handful of new headline shows ahead of 6Music gig in Manchester
Clementine Hall
Yard Act are back as they announce first round of UK headline dates since 2024, including a show right here in Manchester – but not before their BBC 6Music Festival gig later this week.
We are so, SO back.
It’s been a few years, but Yard Act have just announced a limited run of domestic shows for later in the year including their homecoming gig at the O2 Academy in Leeds on Friday, 6 November.
But after playing over in Yorkshire, the lads will be performing shows at the O2 Victoria Warehouse on the following Friday (13 Nov).
Yard Act completed the touring for their critically acclaimed second album, Where’s My Utopia?, with a victory lap back home at the 5000 capacity Millennium Square in Leeds in August ’24.
It was a record that brought a stark change of pace to the acerbic, post-punk of their debut, embracing something altogether more playful and bringing a different energy.
It shifted the dynamic on stage too, with the addition of dancing backing singers and additional musicians and openly challenged listeners to reconsider who they thought Yard Act were.
Since then, the band have been keeping busy writing and recording their third studio LP, as well as heading out across the UK and Europe with The Hives – oh, and that intimate one-off show at Blackpool Tower last May.
Following a lengthy stint in the studio, the band now look to this coming autumn for three big UK dates and we cannot wait. We spoke to them a little while back and know how much big stuff they’ve got further pipeline; you can see the interview HERE.
Booking just three headline slots, the handful of tour dates are as follows:
06 Nov – Leeds
13 Nov – Manchester
26 Nov – London
Tickets go on artist presale from 10am on Wednesday, 25 March before hitting general sale at 10am on Friday, 27 March. Sign up to grab yours right HERE.
As for those wanting to find out more about this year’s 6Music Fest, you find the full lineup and more down below.
Daisy Bradbury -
19th February 2021 
