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Hello, my name is Abby, and I will be running for your next Help In Handbags Coordinator.
I am a 3rd year Fine Art student who is currently on a study abroad placement in Warsaw, Poland. I have been a member of Homed throughout my time at Leeds. I became more involved in the society in my second year after COVID 19 restrictions began to ease and very quickly started to love it. Last year I was active in donating, sandwich runs and hostel visits and even coordinated a hostel visit myself. I found the society to be a welcoming and open-minded space, and I want to foster this atmosphere as a committee member. I would love the opportunity to become even more involved in the society next year, and feel that I am perfectly suited to this role.
I believe that people should have total freedom in the sanitary products that they chose to use. Help in Handbags share in this belief and have been implementing ‘pads only’ bags for hostels. As your coordinator I would like to take this further and introduce fragrance-free, latex-free sanitary bags for people who suffer from allergies or sensitive skin. As somebody who suffers from a chronic skin condition I have seen first-hand how companies increase prices for any product aimed for sensitive skin or allergies as the conditions become more and more common. Using the wrong products can be very uncomfortable or even dangerous for people with common allergies to fragrance or latex. I believe that the Help In Handbags Organisation could play a key role in targeting this and empowering people in period poverty.
I am a well organised person, confident in liaising with local charities and organising a budget. I am creative and outgoing, so have lots of ideas for fundraising and I am passionate and excited to work with homed and make a difference in the community.

I am Serina. and I am passionate about volunteering and raising awareness of pressing issues such as period poverty. So many young women have little to no access to necessary sanitary products and I feel very strongly about changing this. As Coordinator I would work very hard in being active rot organise events and distribution of products as well as get others involved in raising awareness about period poverty and what we can all do to change that.