C2sanitary has been life changing for me, but it had very humble beginnings.
In a school hall, with a vague prompt and a few classmates, competing in a then unknown competition called Thurrock’s Next Top Boss, we had no idea that our plan could ever be a reality. In teams, our year group had to come up with something realistic that would benefit C2C, our local train company. As we huffed and puffed over this idea, suddenly I had a eureka moment. It was so simple, yet so good. C2sanitary. A free vending - style machine of period care products available to female travellers on C2C trains.
My team quickly began to fine tune our idea. How could we make it eco - friendly? What would our dispenser actually look like? When, after we presented our vision to the year group, we learned that we were the finalists from our school, we were elated.
Now, our sights turned to the competition. We had to beat out 8 other local schools in order to have a chance to launch our project. I knew we needed an edge. I had been researching eco friendly period companies with which we could stock our dispensers when I came across Here We Flo. With their infectious pink confidence, I knew I needed them on board. So I pulled together the most convincing email I could muster, introducing our idea and what I hoped we could achieve through it.
I was rewarded rapidly with an enthusiastic, encouraging email back that proved Flo’s belief in us to win. This faith in a group of unknown teenagers from a global business was an empowering feeling and gave me confidence that my team could win.
My team shot our video entry to the competition, and one rainy day in March 2023, we went to the competition final to learn if we had won or not. When it was announced that Team c2sanitary had won, we were ecstatic! There was a lot of shrieking and jumping around by all, that's for sure.
In June, my team and I met with c2c at their London HQ, to finalise our ideas and to discuss how to move forward. It was after this that I truly learned the value of patience!
It took some time to work every tiny detail out, but after more emailing and communicating online, my team and I finally had the amazing opportunity to meet with representatives from Flo (in January 2024) including Susan Allen, a co-founder! Safe to say, we were dazzled, not least by her awesome bright pink suit! This meeting was incredible, and everyone from c2c and Flo are just so lovely and kind. It was at this meeting that we picked out our logo, slogan and the dispenser's design. We were also told our launch date, which was the 10th May 2024!
On May 10th, we walked down to our local train station, (Grays) where we unveiled and stocked the first of many dispensers across all c2c station toilets, including public and employees bathrooms. It was an exhilarating day, and one that made me feel so proud of what I personally, and my team, have achieved over more than a year of dedication and hard work towards something that we are all passionate about.
Overall, creating and launching c2sanitary has been a defining time of my life. It has been, beyond everything else, encouraging. I have experienced how teammates can empower each other, and that you can find some of the kindest people are just an email away! If you had asked my 14 year old self in March 2023 where she thought this project would go, she wouldn’t have imagined that it could have gone this far. C2sanitary has given me a passion for business and marketing, and I intend to study this further at A-Level and beyond.
On behalf of my team, I want to thank everyone at c2c and Here We Flo for making our wildest dreams a reality.
Jessica Rout,
On behalf of Jasmine Aujla and Alyssa Gorte- Clarke
