THE news all schools will be provided with free sanitary products for students has been welcomed by the Isle of Wight's Red Box Project co-ordinator.

Katharine Spencer-Brown said: “The Red Box Project Isle of Wight was set up to fill a gap in provision to help young Island students stay in school during their period, rather than having to miss out due to lack of sanitary protection.

"I couldn’t be happier all our collective voices up and down the country have highlighted the very real issue of period poverty and that the government has acted.

"Once the government scheme is in place, the Red Box Project Isle of Wight will cease.

"That is likely to be around this time next year based on the information we have so far.”

Katharine said the group would continue to support all the Island’s schools and colleges that have Red Boxes as they had been doing since last September.

To date, more than 90 per cent of the Island’s schools have at least one Red Box and the group would continue to offer boxes to the few schools yet to benefit from one.

The Red Box Project will continue to widen the project to include youth services and venues, where students can access a Red Box out of school hours.

It will also continue to raise awareness of the Red Boxes and continue to talk about period poverty as a way of trying to tackle the embarrassment of periods and the stigma still associated with menstruation.