The Dolphin launches new initiative to tackle period poverty in Poole

The Dolphin in Poole has launched a new welfare initiative called ‘Package for Milly’ which provides free menstrual products to anyone who needs them.

Women who need access to a ‘Package for Milly’ simply need to ask a member of The Dolphin’s security team or visit the Centre Management Suite (located on the centre’s first floor), to receive a discreet envelope containing free sanitary products.

The Dolphin’s retailers currently supporting the scheme are as follows, with more stores planned to join in the new year: 
•    Access Wellbeing
•    Poole Central Library
•    The Perfume Shop
•    The Body Shop
•    H&M
•    Claire’s
•    Starbucks
•    New Look
•    Loope

A package can be collected from all the participating stores, and these are easily identifiable with a Package for Milly sticker displayed in the shop window or with a sign on the counter.

Hayley Harris, Community Manager of The Dolphin’s sister centre, Jackson Square in Hertfordshire, initially launched the scheme in March 2025 after recognising a real need in the community to do more to help combat period poverty.

Hayley explained: “Period poverty is an issue affecting hundreds of thousands of women across the country and in our local communities. Latest figures from ActionAid UK reports 10 per cent of girls in the UK have been unable to purchase menstrual products, 15 per cent have struggled to access them, and 19 per cent have switched to less appropriate products due to high costs.

“This campaign seeks to remove the stigma often associated with period poverty and ensure that no one in the community has to go without essential menstrual products because of financial constraints.

“We are proud to be extending our support to our fellow Legal & General shopping centres, The Dolphin and The Beacon in Eastbourne. We hope that by working with our partner centres, we will create a culture where menstruation isn’t a barrier, and asking for help is stigma-free.”

John Grinnell, Centre Manager of The Dolphin, said: “It is so important to us at The Dolphin that the centre continues to be an inclusive space that supports everyone, including the vulnerable members of our community. Hayley has already made a significant difference to her local community since launching ‘Package for Milly’, and we are pleased to be working closely with her team to introduce this impactful initiative.”

‘Package for Milly’ is appropriately named after Millicent Fawcett, a pivotal leader in the British women's suffrage movement in the 1870s. Please contact Carmen Davies, Community Manager of The Dolphin, for more information: carmen.davies@dolphinshoppingcentre.co.uk