Secondary school pupils in North Ayrshire are being offered access to a free long-term supply of period products as part of a new initiative.

Students can register for the subscription which sees packs with two to three months worth of products delivered to their home address.

North Ayrshire Council hopes to fine-tune the project through its pilot with secondary pupils before also rolling it out to primary schools.

In 2017, the council became the first in the world to provide free products in its schools, a service which will continue to run alongside the subscription scheme.

Cllr Joe Cullinane said: “Period poverty is something we have taken very seriously since we learned of the extent of the issue back in 2017. Our initiatives have been extremely well received locally by the people that benefit from the service, but also nationally and internationally too as we raised the bar in how local authorities can support their residents with this important issue.”

Pupils will also have the option to try out more sustainable products, including the option of reusable pads which will be provided by Irvine-based social enterprise TCS-Eco.

Cllr Cullinane added: “I am delighted that we are extending the service even further to provide pupils with a longer supply of free period products straight to their door.

“Not only that, but by offering more sustainable options to disposable products, we can also help tackle another important issue – climate change, all while supporting a local social enterprise.”