Battle against hygiene poverty

A sell-out event at London’s prestigious The Ivy restaurant raised over £13,000 and a further £8,000 in product donations to help The Hygiene Bank charity in its work to alleviate hygiene poverty.

Organiser, and CEO of Cleanology, Dominic Ponniah, says: “The generosity and engagement of our industry has been astonishing. This year, we recruited sponsors who have championed the cause and helped us take the event to a new level. We are really proud to see so many industry representatives coming together to achieve a common goal. With the cost-of-living biting more each day, there has never been a more important time to support the work of The Hygiene Bank. Ruth Brock, CEO at The Hygiene Bank, explains: “As the need for our work grows, we need more individuals and companies to follow in their footsteps and join us, as we work together to end hygiene poverty for good.” The event was backed by six of the biggest names in the industry – Bridge Recruitment, the Cleenol Group, Darwin Clayton, Liberty Hygiene, Truvox International and Zep UK. They joined guests from business and organisations such as the British Institute of Cleaning Science and the Living Wage Foundation. The evening saw competitive bidding for auction and raffle items such as tickets to the Regents Park Open Air Theatre, a night’s stay at Soho House and champagne provided by royal vintners Berry Bros, & Rudd.

Guests included Chris Forbes, Founder of Cheeky Panda; Paul Evans, CEO of Carlisle Support Services; Dennis Flower, Editor of FM Business daily; Michelle Marshall, Editor of European Cleaning Journal; First Mile; Coutts Bank; Royal Bank of Scotland; and representatives of Industrial Cleaning Equipment (ICE) and Kärcher.

Paul Evans, CEO of Carlisle Support Services, says: “Never more so has it been important to ensure everyone is able to access basic hygiene products in the UK, and it was great to hear about the great work The Hygiene Bank, and supporting organisations, are doing in this regard. With the ever-increasing cost-of-living crisis I am keen to ensure we raise the awareness of this key issue.”