Run almost entirely by volunteers, The Hygiene Bank has over 150 local projects across the UK. They help tackle hygiene poverty through the distribution of personal and household hygiene products to those within our community who can’t afford them. Julia Westgarth is a volunteer in South West London; here, she tells us more about why she got involved and what a typical day in the life of a volunteer looks like.

When did you get involved with The Hygiene Bank?

In November 2019 I spotted a poster in a local café asking for donations of toiletries. I’d never heard of The Hygiene Bank and, wanting to learn more, I contacted the person whose details were on the poster and we met for a coffee. She told me all about the charity, why it exists, and how it relies solely on donations. The next thing I knew I was on a Zoom call being inducted as the volunteer project coordinator for Twickenham and the surrounding areas! I was working full time and my job was very full-on, but my kids had grown, and I knew I wanted something to focus on that would make me feel fulfilled and help me give something back to the community I’d lived in for 35 years. Almost three years on I can honestly say that I love what I do and feel privileged to be part of The Hygiene Bank community.

What’s your volunteering journey been like?

When I first set up the Twickenham Hygiene Bank, things were quiet. I had one drop-off point where members of the public could donate products, and I was supporting a couple of local community partners (charities who partner with us to make sure the donations get to those in the community who need them most). In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and suddenly things went exponential. A lot of the local schools and churches set up impromptu food banks to support vulnerable families and they needed toiletries,washing powder and cleaning products to add to the food parcels they were supplying. The power of community is incredible; I was putting out appeals on social media for basics like washing up liquid, shampoo, soap, body wash, toothpaste & toothbrushes, period products – all the essentials that so many of us take for granted – and the response was phenomenal. Since then, supported by 3 volunteers, we have collected, sorted and redistributed over 3,500kg of locally donated hygiene basics through our network of 25 community partners. The cost-of-living crisis unfortunately means that the demand for our services is growing daily.

What does running a local Hygiene Bank involve?

We have drop-off points across the local area where people can donate new and unused toiletries and cleaning products. We collect the items, weigh them (to track our impact) and sort them, then redistribute them to our community partners according to what they need. I have a range of community partners – a couple of schools, a furniture re-use charity that supports people on low incomes with affordable furniture, hostels for young care leavers, foodbanks and a charity that supports families with children under 5, so their needs are quite different! The great thing is that everything donated locally is distributed locally.

We also have online wish lists so people can add items to a virtual basket to be delivered straight to us. This was a real benefit during the peak of the pandemic while we were all in lockdown.

Another part of my role which I hugely enjoy is networking within the community to raise awareness of hygiene poverty. Recently I’ve delivered talks to the local WI and run assemblies in schools to spread the word about what it means to live without access to the things so many of us take for granted when it comes to keeping ourselves and our surroundings clean.

What are your priorities for the future?

We need more people to look up and recognise that there are people living within our neighbourhood who make daily decisions about how to spend their limited budget. Do they eat, put fuel in the car to get to work, pay the gas bill or keep themselves clean? It’s exhausting, and stressful, and has a huge impact on our mental wellbeing, and as a society we need to band together to alleviate the pressure many of us are under. The cost-of-living crisis is making hygiene poverty a reality for more people than ever before. This is an issue that is not going away, and it can affect any of us at any time. I truly believe that we can – and should – tackle this together, and like many mammoth tasks, if everyone plays even a tiny role, the situation will become more manageable.

How do people get involved?

There are several ways to help. You can:

- Purchase a ticket to the Clean & Tidy Home Show via this link - entire ticket value will be donated to The Hygiene Bank

- Visit our website to learn about us, what we do,what products we accept, and how we’re making an impact.

- Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. We rely heavily on word of mouth within local communities and reach and engagement does wonders for raising awareness! If you’re a member of any local community groups, spread the word on there too. Talk to your friends, family and neighbours about us and the work that we do.

- You can drop an extra soap,toothbrush, shower gel, pack of period products or household cleaning item into any of our local drop-off  points as often as you can. Find your local project and check their wish lists for an idea of the products they urgently need.

- Even a small monthly donation can make a huge difference; you’ll find all the ways to donate on our website. We don’t receive any government funding, so rely on our generous supporters to make our life-changing work possible. Please join us!

- Come and volunteer! You can search by postcode on our website to find your nearest project - and if there isn’t one, set one up. The support and training from THB HQ is amazing.

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