Camberley residents can now pick up free pads and tampons at Camberley Library as part of Surrey County Council’s ongoing ‘Period Dignity’ campaign, run in partnership with the charity Binti International. The library has installed permanent dispensers and collection trays so essential sanitary items are available at no cost.
The dispensers and donation trays are sited in accessible washrooms and public areas to allow people to take products discreetly without having to ask staff. The facility is described by the council as a permanent free period product point as part of the wider countywide initiative first launched in 2021.
Products are available during the library’s normal staffed opening hours and during its ‘Super Access’ extended opening slots, which include early-morning and evening unstaffed windows that begin at 8:00am and run until 8:00pm on some days. Super Access is available only to registered Surrey Libraries members and requires a short, staff-led branch introduction before someone can use the library when staff are not present — a potential barrier for people who are not already registered.
Local officials say the move is intended to reduce period poverty and the indignity of having to use substitutes because products are unaffordable. Local data cited in council briefings shows a rise in demand for community support — for example, a 25% increase in food bank and community support usage in the Surrey Heath area between 2023 and 2025 — underscoring concerns about the impact of the cost-of-living squeeze.
Surrey County Council and Binti International said they hope locating products in a high-traffic, trusted public space will normalise menstruation and make accessing period products easier for people on low incomes.
About this article: This story was put together with the help of AI tools and checked by a real person on our team. We're a small crew trying to cover as much of the UK as we can on a limited budget. We're getting better every day - but we're not perfect yet. If something looks off, let us know. You're part of the process.
