Blog Post

Monthly Hugs update

  • By Chloe Tingle
  • •
  • 18 Sep, 2017
  • •

Hi everyone,

Today we have an announcement to make. We have decided to put our Monthly Hugs subscription service on pause. We absolutely love Monthly Hugs and have put a lot of time and energy into making it happen, so this hasn’t been an easy decision and it’s taken us some time to reach.

The reason for the pause is that even though we have had a really amazing reception to the boxes, a lot of positive feedback and even featuring in the Independent’s top 10 self-care subscription boxes, we’ve had less subscribers than we expected following the launch.

Given that we are such a small organisation with limited resources, we’ve come to this difficult decision to put Monthly Hugs on pause for the next few months until we can source significant investment or a partner which can support us to cover the overheads of building a larger customer base.

Nonetheless we would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you who has supported us during the Crowdfunder in June and beyond to get Monthly Hugs of the ground, it has been a pleasure and we are so pleased with our Endless Summer box that went out in August.

This journey has given us invaluable experience and the resources we so desperately needed to carry on with our Tackling Period Poverty project working with low-income vulnerable women right here in Bristol, which we couldn’t have done without the support of Bristol Green Capital.

We would like to emphasise that funds have been used exactly as allocated through the Crowdfunder, particularly those that were for workshops and donating boxes to the vulnerable women we work with. With this, we have already managed to conduct 3 workshops, 2 period clinics and give out 9 boxes, each with a reusable sanitary product.

We are solely putting Monthly Hugs on hold for the next few months due to the huge amount of resource needed to create each month’s Monthly Hug. As a small not-for-profit with only a few members of staff, we have taken the strategic decision to put our energy into forwarding the Tackling Period Poverty Programme for the time being until funding or a partner is established for Monthly Hugs.

If you love the Monthly Hugs idea and would be interested in becoming a subscriber in the future after we re-launch please submit your email here. Please note this is non-binding and your details will not be shared with any third-parties. 

The more people we have register their interest the more likely we are to be successful in our search for external funding and/or a partner to take on Monthly Hugs.

Once again, we would like to thank you for all of your support and we are really sorry that we can’t keep Monthly Hugs going at the moment, but we promise we will do everything we can to get it up and running again in the near future.

If you have any comments, concerns, questions or feedback please get in touch with Chloe.


Lots of love,
NMT Team x

Join us for Period Poverty Training!-4th Mar Plymouth and 12th Mar Bristol!

By Chloe Tingle • 25 Feb, 2019
We are hosting two period poverty training courses this spring. See the details on eventbrite.

Staff Training at CoLab

By Rebecca Batala • 30 Jan, 2019
Here's a little insight into what our Staff Training at CoLab was like...

WOW Exeter 2018...the highlights

By Chloe Tingle • 18 Oct, 2018

WOW Women of the World festivals have been popping up across the world, if you get the chance to go along to one we would strongly recommend it.

WOW – Women of the World  festival celebrates women and girls, and looks at the obstacles that stop them from achieving their potential.

Around the world, individuals and communities are insisting on the simple proposition that women and girls must have equal rights and asking the question: why is gender equality taking so long?

Southbank Centre's WOW – Women of the World  festival is a global network of festivals which provides a platform for celebrating what has been achieved, and exploring all the ways we can change the world for the better.

What’s not to love?

Our Founder, Chloe, and her Mum Angela went along to represent No More Taboo with a stall across the two days. Here’s her highlights:

“Although we didn’t get much time to take in all the discussions as we were kept busy wo-manning the stall (thanks Mum for helping out)! We had some great discussions around gender, equality, inclusivity and of course periods with new customers, supporters, other panellists and some old friends who came to see us.

In fact, we were really pleased to catch up with Plan International UK who were opening the festival with a discussion about Period Activism exactly one year on since the launch of our #BreaktheBarriers research and Period Poverty Conference that we ran in collaboration with Plan.

By Your Leave

By Catherine Blom-Smith • 01 Oct, 2018
We look at what introducing menstrual leave to workplaces in the UK might mean.

It Must be Lush

By Iloni Kingston-Smith • 17 Sep, 2018

On the first weekend of September, No More Taboo set up shop at Lush Cribbs Causeway for their Charity Pot weekend.

The Lush Charity Pot is a wonderfully creamy shea-butter hand lotion where all the sales money (excluding VAT) goes towards a chosen charity or non-for-profit. This scheme is designed to help boost grass-roots, small and local organisations, like ourselves, financially so that we can continue to do the work we do such as our Tackling Period Poverty programme.

As we were Lush’s chosen organisation for the weekend of the 1-2 September, one of our volunteers, Iloni, and one of our advisors, Carolyn, went along to wo-man the (suitably Lush-styled aesthetic) stall that Lush had kindly provided for us. We took along a range of our products, stacks of leaflets and information as well as our enthusiasm for talking about all things to do with periods.

Over the weekend, we sold over £200’s worth of stock with Ruby Cups and Honour Your Flow re-usable pads proving most popular with Lush customers. On top of this, Lush sold so many of their Charity Pots that £340.60 was raised for No More Taboo – which was amazing! 

However exciting the money side of things were with this event, what I personally took away as being the real highlight of the weekend was the number and nature of conversations we shared with customers. 

Mothers and daughters came and chatted to us about how they agreed it was so important to use re-usable products for personal and financial reasons as well as for the planet’s sake. Boyfriends accompanied their other halves as they prodded and probed the range of menstrual cups on display. Older women commented on how it’s such a relief to be able to talk about menstruation in public and with people you’ve only just met. They regaled of a time when periods were even more hush-hush and celebrated with us out mission of there being No More Taboo.

We would like to thank Lush Cribbs Causeway for being such wonderful hosts, encouraging every customer that came through their doors to consider buying the Charity Pot or simply to chat with us. Each member of their staff team was incredibly warm and so keen to find out more about what we do. On behalf of all of us at No More Taboo, thank you.

Over the Moon(cup)

By Catriona Dickie • 26 Jul, 2018
What is a Mooncup?

If you're following No More Taboo, chances are you are already aware that a Mooncup is a silicone menstrual cup. It is inserted vaginally and used throughout your period. There are two different sizes: size A, for those who are either thirty and over or have given birth vaginally, and size B, for under thirties who have not birthed a child vaginally. 

Why Use One?

The main reason I wanted to convert to a Mooncup is because I was feeling concerned about the amount of waste my period was generating every month. During the twelve years I've been menstruating I must have thrown thousands of tampons into landfill , and as I became more aware of the impact this is having on the planet, switching to a sustainable sanitary product seemed like a straightforward lifestyle change that would really make a difference.

Another advantage for frugal (or rather, perpetually skint) me was that for a £20 upfront investment I'd have an item that would last up to 10 years. And while a box of own-brand tampons is only a pound a pop, there's always a risk that a trip to Boots will result in an impulse buy and before I know it I've bought a new nail varnish and a Graze box and end up spending a tenner.

I also love to travel and have more than once found myself in a situation where I'm in a country without ready access to tampons. I'm not a big fan of pads and had found myself obsessively carrying around a box of tampons with me at all times and becoming anxious when I didn't have one on me. The great thing about the Mooncup, for me, is that all you have to do is empty it out and with a quick rinse or wipe it can be used again.

Finally, Mooncups are not known to carry any risk of Toxic Shock Syndrome, which I think we'll all agree is what nightmares are made of for those of us who menstruate. 

Putting it In

I was lucky enough to come on my period on a lazy Saturday afternoon. With no plans for the day that involved leaving the comfort of my home, I was able to fiddle around with folding and inserting and looking up advice online. After three failed attempts , the cup stayed put and I heard the satisfying sound of the vacuum seal closing in. Minimal leakage did occur over the course of the day but once I got the hang of the fold-and-insert method I was confident enough to wear my proverbial white jeans, like those women in the adverts who bleed blue menstrual blood.

Out and About

As I write this I've been using my Mooncup for about 6 months, and it did take me about 3 cycles to completely get used to it. I think after over a decade of using tampons, which are a lot smaller and more streamlined, this is probably normal. For me it was worth persevering and the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks, of which I can't think of any aside from the following: I have dropped it down the loo while taking it out a couple of times. This has never been much of a problem until last weekend when I dropped it down a portaloo never to be seen again. So much for that 10 year investment.

Verdict

What can I say, I'm a convert. For anyone willing to spend £20 I'd really say its worth giving the Mooncup a chance and persevering with the tricky first days. As for me, I'll be buying another to replace my lost menstrual cup and will be using organic tampons at festivals from now on.  

Feeling Inspired?

Are you ready to give the Mooncup a chance? Buy your Mooncup, or another menstrual cup, from our shop , where all profits go towards tackling period poverty in the UK.

If you're wondering how else you can reduce your plastic consumption, read about how me and Catherine challenged ourselves to a plastic-free fortnight. 

Big Green Week with UWE Bristol

By Catherine Blom-Smith • 19 Jul, 2018
Watch this space for information on how No More Taboo will be involved in Big Green Week, UWE's annual festival of eco ideas, events and smart living. 

For more information, take a look at their website:  https://www1.uwe.ac.uk/whatson/biggreenweek.aspx

Environmenstrual Week of Action

By Catherine Blom-Smith • 19 Jul, 2018
A whole week of period-related and enviro-conscious action! What could be better? This event will run from the 13th of to the 20th of October. Watch this space for details on how No More Taboo will be involved. 

Read more here:  https://www.wen.org.uk/environmenstrual-week-of-action/

No More Taboo Workshop at WOW!

By Catherine Blom-Smith • 19 Jul, 2018
At this year's Women of the World Festival, our founder Chloe will be holding a workshop at their event in Exeter. She will be talking everything you need to know about cups! This event is on Sunday 14th October. Find out more at this link:  https://www.exeterphoenix.org.uk/events/women-of-the-world/

Summertime Sailin' on the Red Sea

By Jenna Yates • 19 Jul, 2018
Find out how we've been getting ready for the highlight of our summer, Shambala Festival, where we'll be helping you safely navigate the festival period... Jump on board for a period-friendly weekend trip away with the monthlies!
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