From Gym Donations to Global Impact: Our Gym is Launching a New Initiative to Empower Kenyan Communities.

Our gym is turning a simple act of kindness into a life-changing international initiative, supporting women and girls in Kenya with menstrual health education, sustainable products, and new income opportunities.

During a recent volunteer trip with Positive Life Kenya, the gym’s founder, Chloe Winstanley visited the community of Mlolongo, where she learned of a critical issue affecting women and girls: limited access to sanitary products and a lack of education around menstrual hygiene.

In many low-income areas, women and girls are forced to use unsafe alternatives such as cloth scraps or go without protection entirely. This often leads to infections, stigma, and missed school or work, reinforcing cycles of poverty and inequality.

Motivated to help, she launched a sanitary towel collection at her women-only gym in Cheadle. The response was overwhelming. Members donated so generously that she was able to personally deliver over 1,000 sanitary towels, along with reusable alternatives, directly to the community.

However, what began as a donation drive quickly became something much bigger.

The Conversations That Changed Everything.

While volunteering with Positive Life Kenya in the community of Mlolongo, Chloe began speaking with women and girls in the community – conversations that quickly revealed a deeper issue and she was confronted with a reality many never have to face: girls missing school, women risking their health, and entire communities held back – simply because of a lack of sanitary products and education. This revealed a deeper need – not just for products, but for education, sustainability, and long-term solutions.

Working closely with one of the charity’s head seamstresses, she spent hours researching materials and exploring how reusable sanitary towels could be made locally. Chloe began exploring a new possibility:
What if women in the community could create their own solution?

From this collaboration, a new initiative was born.

Introducing “Positive Flow Kenya”

A proposed sub-brand of Positive Life Kenya, Positive Flow Kenya aims to:

Provide menstrual health education in schools and communities
Train women to produce reusable sanitary towels
Create sustainable income opportunities for local women
Reinvest profits into materials, expanding the programme’s reach
The pilot programme aims to train 10 women, each producing and selling at least 100 reusable sanitary pads, helping to build both financial independence and community resilience.

Women Supporting Women

This initiative would not exist without the generosity of the Cheadle gym community.

“This all started because the women in my gym came together,” she said. “If they hadn’t donated so many sanitary products, those conversations in Kenya would never have happened. It just shows what can happen when women support women.” What began in our small gym in Cheadle now has the potential to impact an entire community of women in Kenya.

300km Challenge to Launch the Programme

To kickstart fundraising, she will take on a 28-day endurance challenge throughout June – symbolically representing the average menstrual cycle.

10km per day through running, rowing, and SkiErg
Final day: 30km walk
Total distance: 300km
Members of the gym community will also take part, reinforcing the collective spirit behind the campaign.

The goal is to raise enough funds to launch the pilot programme and begin transforming lives. The support doesn’t stop there – for the next year Winners Strength & Wellbeing will support for an initial year by donating £1 per transaction. This will continue to help the development of the project in its initial stages of growth.

Why It Matters

Period poverty remains a global issue. Without access to safe sanitary products and education:

Girls miss school during their periods
Women face health risks and infections
Shame and stigma persist
Economic opportunities are limited
By addressing both access and education, we aim to create a long-term, sustainable solution led by the community itself.

A Movement Has Begun

What started as a simple act of kindness from a group of women in Cheadle has become something far greater:

A conversation.
A connection.
A movement.

And now, a mission to change lives.