In the last month the Red Box Project has contacted every Aycliffe school that has a red box to offer a top-up at the start of the new term. One school exchanged an empty box for a full one, which was very gratifying. We also delivered eleven red bags of sanitary products to the Post-16 education department at Humankind and three red caddies to St. Mary’s, St. Clare’s and Neville Parade Methodist Churches for any young women’s groups that use those churches.
Thanks to the generosity of local individuals and businesses we have an excellent stock to keep the boxes filled over the winter months and enough cash in the bank for a one-off donation of winter tights to every school and college
While the primary aim of the Red Box Project is to end period poverty in schools we are able to extend our help to any other groups involving young women in Great Aycliffe, so if you’re a member of a sport’s club, social club, special needs group etc, please ask your leader to contact us and we may be able to help you too. We offer this totally free of charge: there is no catch!
The Project itself is winding down as we step aside for the government scheme to start in January. We anticipate that our help will still be needed until the end of that term. This week we removed donation boxes from Newton Aycliffe Youth and Community Centre, DebNHair beauty salon at Simpasture and McColls at Neville Parade. Newtonians will still be able to donate into red boxes in the library, the Pioneering Care Partnership, St Elizabeth’s Church (Mondays 2-4pm) and The Thames Diner. We are very grateful to all those who have allowed us to use their premises to host a donation point.
The Red Box Project was invited to speak at the autumn meeting of Durham County WI and Darlington coordinator Carol Marchant gave an excellent speech on the work of the Project and the reasons why it is so needed.
There were numerous questions from the floor and the ladies showed their appreciation with a rapturous round of applause. Each WI in the County was asked to donate sanitary products and a mountain of filled bags and bin liners was crammed into Carol’s car. Every town in the County that is signed up to the Project – including Great Aycliffe – will share in the donations.
Feedback shows that we are making a difference to a lot of girls’ and young women’s lives, all thanks to Community Kindness. For further information please email theredboxdurham@gmail.com or find us on Facebook at The Red Box Project Durham
