BOLLYWOOD hit Pad Man will be screened at the Reel Cinema in Chippenham, on March 8, International Women’s Day, to raise money to help Wiltshire-based charity Women and Girls combat period poverty in India.

Women and Girls, founded in 2017, says 23 per cent of girls in India drop out of school when they start having periods, but by providing sanitary protection but education around menstruation and sexual health, it is possible to have a positive impact on their lives.

Co-founder of Women and Girls, Kathryn Crosweller, said: “Pad Man is an incredible film because it throws a spotlight on a topic that hasn’t been spoken about in private, never mind in public, for far too long.

"It shows the reality of period poverty for women in India and by showing the film in Chippenham for International Women’s Day we hope to raise awareness of the challenges faced during the most natural process a woman can go through.”

Pad Man is based on the life of Arunachalam Muruganantham who created a disposable sanitary pad that is affordable to far more people than the options that were previously available.

Kathryn Crosweller said: “Women and Girls does not distribute disposable sanitary protection, but reusable, hygienic options that suit the needs of the women and girls we work with. While the film’s solution is different to ours, the message is the same- it doesn’t take much to give a woman or girl comfort, dignity and freedom during her period.”

The film will begin after a brief insight into the work Women and Girls is doing to combat period poverty in India at 8pm.

At least £10 from each ticket will provide hygienic and reusable sanitary protection to women and girls in India, meaning each ticket holder will be helping two women or girls for at least a year of their life.

Tickets, including wine and canapes, are £15. To book, visit reelcinemas.co.uk.

For information about Women and Girls visit womenandgirls.org.uk.