FIREFIGHTERS are encouraging the public to help them make period poverty a thing of the past.

Crews at Fairweather Green Fire Station are among those supporting the ‘red box’ project – which aims to provide girls with essentials like underwear, sanitary products and tights when they are on their period.

The initiative was launched to help girls who can’t afford sanitary products or don’t have access to them.

There is now a red box at the Thornton Road station which can be filled with tampons, pads, tights and underwear, which are then delivered into local schools.

The products should be sealed and in their original packaging.

Steven O’Keefe, watch commander at Fairweather Green Fire Station said: “It’s a serious thing in the community, some people can’t afford these types of products and it has a big impact. We really wanted to support this – as you can imagine it’s a difficult time in a young girl’s life.

“We’ve got a bin here on station and people with unused products can put them in the box. Green Watch donated some money to get it up and running- and we were supported by Morrisons and The Range too. Morrisons donated some products, and The Range donated the red bin to collect them in.

“Once the bin is full we get in touch with an agency who will distribute them where they are needed. It’s such a worthwhile charity. School is hard enough as it is and period poverty can make things more difficult.

“If you’ve got anything unused at home, or you’ve a couple of pounds spare doing your shopping pick them up and drop them in here at Fairweather Green Fire Station. We need anything from sanitary products, to tights or underwear.

“It’s not much money but it can just make such a huge difference to a young girl out there.”

There are also boxes at the Odsal, Halifax, Huddersfield, Leeds and Wakefield stations, plus at the Birkenshaw HQ.