A campaign to ensure no young women misses school because she has her period is taking off in North Ayrshire.

The Red Box Project Ayrshire, which is part of the wider UK Red Box Project, aims to reduce period poverty. Emma Clark, a mum from West Kilbride, is organising the campaign in North Ayrshire.

She told the Herald: “The aim is just really to keep as many girls in education as possible while they’ve got their period.

“So many girls are missing school every month because they don’t have sanitary products. This astounded me, especially because I’ve got three young girls myself and I just can’t imagine them having to go through that.”

People can help local girls through the Red Box Project by donating sanitary products to any of the five drop-off points in Ayrshire: Steamers Laundry in West Kilbride, Ayr Job Centre, Craigs of Ayrshire and DWP, both in Kilmarnock, and StEPS podiatry in Largs.

Emma explained what items to donate: “Age appropriate sanitary wear is ideal. There’s a Lilets teen range – it comes in nice pastel boxes – and the liners are narrower to fit younger girls.

“We also need tampons because we want to give the option as well for girls that want to go swimming.

“Some of these girls don’t have access to washing facilities, so pants age nine upwards [can be donated].

“We would advise against reusable wear like Mooncups. They are good for the environment, but young girls have maybe not got the privacy in school toilets to wash them out and, based on our research, they don’t want to use them.

“If people want to donate money, that’s fine but it will only go towards sanitary products.

“They can drop it off at donation points. If they can’t get to one, I can pick them up for them.”

For more information or to contact the Red Box Project Ayrshire, visit the Facebook page.