A few eyebrows were raised when sexual health charity FPA started selling sex toys, games, and DVDs via its Desire & Pleasure website. But once the business model and rationale were explained, the organisation has won nothing but plaudits from both inside and outside the sexual health sector.

FPA, which is most famous for establishing the UK's network of contraception clinics, was established in 1930 and has been a registered charity since 1966. In 1974 we handed our clinic network over to the NHS and since then we've relied on local and national government sources for the majority of our income.

However, with austerity measures reducing funding in public services, and other charitable income drying up, we quickly realised that we needed to start trading to generate enough income to continue our work as a charity.

The management team identified a number of activities that were commercially viable. And soon we offered everything from educational packs to fertility kits.

In our most recent business plan we decided we wanted to generate more positive messages on sexual health. Previously all the messages were on the negatives, such as unwanted pregnancies, teenage pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections so the decision was taken to broaden the agenda to include sexual pleasure too.

After further market research we launched desireandpleasure.co.uk as a good and ethical alternative to, what we believe are often bad and ugly practices in the growing number of online sex shops.

The internet has created a new era of freedom for people to buy sex products and toys, and innovations like the Kindle and downloadable books have kick-started the 50 Shades of Grey phenomenon.

While people like the anonymity and choice that the internet offers for exploring their sexual desires, some of the common practices in this sector concerned us. FPA believes there is a need for a safe and trusted place where people can shop for sex products with confidence. Online remarketing of sex products, for instance, targets people with explicit advertising even when they are no longer browsing sites of a sexual nature. This can potentially expose children using a family computer to inappropriate content.

We're also boycotting products with offensive names and packaging or those with violent or aggressive connotations. We also change any product descriptions we feel are unnecessarily explicit.

What we can offer the customer, which no other sex shop can, is easy access to expert advice and support through our FPA helpline and online enquiry service.

Customers can get advice on how to use the products safely and ask any questions about their sexual health, meaning that our charitable objectives are tied in to our commercial activities.

We also wanted a website that provides advice on how to use toys safely and provides information on how to look after the toys. There are certain health risks associated with hygiene, or allergic reactions to materials which we want to make sure customers are aware of. The sex toy industry hasn't really pushed these messages so we felt it was our role to educate shoppers on how to use these products safely.

We've even created informative videos to show how to safely use the toys and soon the site will illustrate how to use the toys for the greatest pleasure. A safe online shopping experience is absolutely essential. All goods are supplied in plain packaging and we don't use online spam. The website is being supported by regular reviews of the toys by independent sex experts and bloggers and we plan to add to the range over time.

Now our charitable objectives are being supported by a clear revenue stream, people's sexual pleasure is contributing to improving the nation's sexual health.

The decision to launch Desire & Pleasure was not taken lightly. We thought about every eventuality and viewpoint and the more we thought about it the more we felt that a sex toy shop with ethical and educational values at heart is needed to support the ever expanding tastes of the public. Now we hope its revenues will support our charity for years to come.

Terry Hawkins is business development manager at FPA

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