Eye Businesswoman, Celia Hodson of Hey Girls, humbled as period crusade lands her OBE

The co-founder and director of a social enterprise, which is on a crusade to end period poverty, has been made an OBE.

Celia Hodson, from Eye, was honoured for services to promoting period dignity and raising awareness of free period products.

Mrs Hodson, who started Hey Girls in 2018 with her daughters Kate Smith and Bec Shutt, was named in King Charles’ Birthday Honours list.

Upon receiving the news, she said: “I am deeply honoured and humbled to receive this recognition.

“This award is a testament to the incredible support and collaboration from my team, our community partners, our customers and the users and advocates of our app.

“Together, we are making strides toward a world where period poverty is a thing of the past, and menstrual health is a fundamental right for everyone.”

The multi-award-winning Hey Girls has become a beacon for tackling period poverty and promoting education around menstrual health.

The organisation’s innovative buy-one-donate-one model has ensured that for every product sold, another is donated to someone in need, positively impacting countless lives across the UK.

A My Period App helps users locate nearby sources of free menstrual products, removing barriers for those who struggle to afford them.

In February, Hey Girls started to work with the Norfolk Community Foundation – through its Nourishing Norfolk network – to provide disposable and reusable period products for free, which are being distributed through its 22 affordable food hubs.

Corrie Colson, programmes adviser at Norfolk Community Foundation, said: “I love that Hey Girls is completely barrier-free.

“That’s something that’s really important to me, because there has been, and continues to be, such a stigma around periods, so it’s great to see an organisation making access to supplies as easy as possible and smashing stigma as they go.

“Almost 50 per cent of girls in Norfolk have missed at least one day of school because of their period, which is just crazy; periods shouldn’t be impacting education.”

In May, Hey Girls announced it had taken on a 13,000-square-foot hub in Hoppers Way in Diss. The switch gave the venture, which has a team of 40 staff and runs another location in East Lothian, fives times more space to help with processing.

Mrs Hodson said at the time: “This new space will allow us to significantly increase our operations and help us in our fight to achieve period equality nationwide.”

Mrs Hodson was named National Great British Entrepreneur of the Year in 2018 and has received other numerous leadership awards for her commitment to social justice and community wellbeing.

To date, Hey Girls has helped to distribute more than 38 million life-changing donations to its extensive network of 350 community partners.