'No one should have to use a charity to get soap': Hygiene poverty has driven 1,000 tonnes of donations in just four years

The Hygiene Bank has distributed more than 1,000 tonnes of donated hygiene essentials throughout the UK since it was founded in 2018, prompting a warning from its founder that ‘something has gone wrong in the system’.

This major milestone comes at a time when the charity is facing unprecedented levels of demand, with increasing numbers of households unable to afford all the basics due to the rising cost of living.

The cost-of-living crisis is fuelling the demand for donations and accelerating the growing rates of hygiene poverty in the Lynn. The Hygiene Bank currently has a Waiting List of over 420 community organisations that it does not have the capacity to support.

The Lynn Project has drop-off donation points in Wilko, Boots, Morrision, The Body Shop, The Discovery centre and The Gateway Church.

The branch also supports 20 charity partners in and around Lynn passing on much needed hygiene items to families and individuals they are supporting.

Founder Lizzy Hall said:“We reach this milestone with mixed emotions. On the one hand it is an incredible achievement – we’ve supported people living in hygiene poverty, improving wellbeing and enabling people to fully participate in their lives.

"On the other, it highlights the hard fact that hygiene poverty is a growing problem in the UK.

"No one should be reliant on a charity to provide essentials such as toothpaste, nappies or soap. We need to look at what has gone wrong in the system.”

Feedback consistently confirms that long before people resort to organisations such as foodbanks, they have cut back on all areas of their expenditure, including buying hygiene basics which are often among the first items people cut to make ends meet.

Every single kilogram of the 1,000 tonnes of hygiene donations has been allocated to the charity's community partners, a network of over 1,800 grassroots organisations and charities that support those of us experiencing hygiene poverty.

These Community Partners comprise foodbanks, schools, refugee services and other social and community-based wellbeing services.

This milestone is all the more incredible considering that the charity is only four years old and has been impacted by the pandemic for nearly half of its existence, with collection points and fundraising hampered by lockdown and social restrictions.

CEO Edgar Penollar said: “Our network of over 500 volunteers has made a phenomenal impact on tackling hygiene poverty throughout the UK. We are however, operating at capacity. We have just issued an emergency appeal for

additional funding to ensure that we can reach the growing numbers of people in need”.

For further information, please contact Katie Mathers project coordinator at The Hygiene Bank Kings Lynn via email at thbkingslynn@gmail.com.