Key Points

• Glasgow City Council’s period dignity partner, Simon Community Scotland, is placing free period products in hotels from Monday ahead of the Commonwealth Games visitors arriving for the event starting on Thursday next week.
• The initiative is designed to make free period products available to spectators and athletes staying in Glasgow during the games.
• Glasgow already provides free period products in around 400 locations across the city through the council and its partner network.
• Those existing access points include council schools, community venues, publicly accessible spaces, Health and Social Care Partnership buildings, food banks, and some venues offering reusable products as well as pads and tampons.
• Scottish policy backing for free period products comes from the Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Act 2021, which secures free provision across Scotland.

Glasgow Council (Glasgow Express) July 16, 2026, period dignity partner Simon Community Scotland will be placing products in hotels on Monday in time for the huge international sporting event, which kicks off on Thursday next week. The move is aimed at ensuring Commonwealth Games visitors, including athletes and spectators, have access to free period products while staying in the city.

As reported by Glasgow Live in the story

“Free Glasgow period products to be placed in hotels for Commonwealth Games visitors”,

the measure extends an existing city-wide approach to period dignity rather than creating a brand-new scheme. The report states that free period products will be offered to Commonwealth Games spectators and athletes in Glasgow.

What did Glasgow City Council and Simon Community Scotland say about period dignity?

Glasgow City Council’s wider period dignity work already covers a substantial network of venues across the city. Glasgow Life says products are available in around 400 locations, including schools, community venues, public spaces, health and social care buildings, and food banks.

The city council has previously said Glasgow has been “leading the way” in free period product provision since 2018, when a pilot in the city’s secondary schools was introduced to help address period inequality.

The council also noted that free products are available from council buildings, Glasgow Life venues, police stations and HSCP offices, with further venues being explored to widen access.

Where can free period products already be found in Glasgow?

The existing network is broad and includes a mix of civic, leisure and community locations. Glasgow Life lists places such as libraries, leisure centres, museums and community hubs among the venues offering free products.

Reusable products are also available in some locations, alongside single-use pads and tampons. Glasgow Life says people can use the Pick Up My Period app to find the nearest venue stocking free products.

Why does this matter under Scottish law?

The policy sits within a wider national framework created by the Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Act 2021. That law was introduced to secure free access to period products throughout Scotland.

The Scottish Government has also supported access through the PickupMyPeriod app, which links users to venues where free products are available.

Glasgow’s hotel-based provision for Games visitors fits into that wider system of public access and local authority partnership.

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Background of the development

Glasgow’s period dignity programme has been expanding for years, beginning with school-based pilots and then moving into a much wider civic network.

Glasgow City Council said the city’s approach has developed since 2018 and now includes venues across health, education, leisure and community settings.

The national legal framework also strengthened the policy direction in Scotland, with the free provision Act setting out duties on local authorities and education providers.

That background helps explain why a major event like the Commonwealth Games would be used as an opportunity to extend access to hotel guests as well.

What could this mean for visitors?

For Commonwealth Games visitors, the practical effect is likely to be simpler access to period products without having to search shops or face added costs.

That is especially relevant for athletes, support staff and spectators arriving from outside Glasgow who may not know where local access points are located.

For Glasgow’s public services and partner organisations, the development reinforces the city’s existing period dignity model rather than replacing it.

It may also help visitors and residents see that free period product provision is now embedded in parts of Glasgow’s wider public infrastructure.