Have you ever imagined what it would be like to get your period while sleeping on the street?

That’s what crossed the mind of this young woman as she was relaxing at home one Sunday morning.

Now she is on a mission to make the time of month for women and girls sleeping rough a little less uncomfortable and embarrassing.

Elise Yarde, 29, of Gainsford Road, Walthamstow, is raising cash to put together feminine care packages.

She will hand out the packages, which include sanitary items, baby wipes and chocolate, to women she meets begging on the streets.

She said: “So many women are forced to choose between food and tampons and there’s no awareness around this.

“I would like to raise awareness about it because it’s not a small thing – it’s once a month.

“Having chocolate when you’re on your period is important too because it’s comforting and feels like a little bit of home.

“I will be driving around looking for homeless women sleeping on the streets and also visiting shelters to meet women and give them the packages.”

Miss Yarde’s fundraising efforts are part of The Homeless Period campaign that aims to bring the wider issue of the need for sanitary care into the spotlight.

Last year the campaign ran a petition calling on the government to give homeless shelters an allowance for sanitary items, similar to the allowance given for condoms. It gained over 100,000 signatures and was mentioned during a discussion on the tampon tax in Parliament.

In October 2015 MPs voted against reducing the 5 per cent VAT rate on sanitary items but Miss Yarde wants the tax to be lifted completely.

Miss Yarde, a supported employment coordinator at a special needs college, said: “I am always thinking about homeless people and what it must be like for them on the streets.

“I think it is essential for all women to have sanitary items because it is about people’s dignity and some of them are forced to steal tampons.”

To donate to Miss Yarde’s campaign click here.