Make a difference this weekend by donating to The Hygiene Bank at Tesco Ballymena

Aug 28, 2021
3 min read

Local Project Co-ordinator for The Hygiene Bank, Jennie Watt

The Hygiene Bank, a local charity which provides a vital service to many in our community, is having a collection point this weekend (Saturday 28 and Sunday 29) in Tesco Superstore, Ballymena.

The Hygiene Bank's story started with the film ‘I Daniel Blake' by Ken Loach, A moving and harrowing film that exposes the harsh realities of those in our society who fall through the cracks. It portrays a place in which empathy has little place and no allowance is made for the chaos of everyday life.

One particular scene stuck in the mind of the charity founder, Lizzy Hall.

The scene is of Katie, a single mother of two (played by actress Hayley Squires) who is caught shoplifting and in her bag they find a pack of period pads, razors and a bottle of deodorant.

After watching the film Lizzy visited her local food bank who confirmed that toiletries were donated but only on an ad hoc basis.

Friends who were teachers talked of girls improvising with loo roll or scrunched up socks in their pants as sanitary protection. They talked about the impact of hygiene issues on social exclusion and how they and many of their colleagues resorted to buying pupils shampoo and deodorant or washing their uniform

Hygiene poverty is humiliating, and so galvanised to do something, Lizzy put out a plea for hygiene and personal care products to her friends on WhatsApp. Donations flooded in - the reaction was overwhelming and extremely moving and Lizzy realised she had tapped into people’s desire to help. All she had to do was find a way to facilitate this... within a few weeks The Hygiene Bank was born!

Founder of The Hygiene Bank, Lizzie Hall commented:

“We all make financial choices, but for those living in poverty these choices can be extremely stark.

“Buying the basics like period products, shampoo, toothpaste or deodorant when we need them is something most of us take for granted. For many on a low-income however, especially those who rely on food banks, these essential products have become out of reach luxuries. Illness, disability, family breakdown or loss of a job can leave people destitute, and these unplanned events can happen to anyone.

“Mothers are increasingly prioritising feeding their family over buying hygiene products while teens and young adults prefer to go hungry to save themselves the humiliation of showing up at college or work with greasy hair and smelling of body odour.”

The impact of hygiene poverty can have a wide ranging effect on the life of an individual and have many negative consequences for families in our community.

“Sadly, hygiene poverty comes with a social stigma that affects all areas of life, work, school and relationships,” Lizzie said.

“We know that a lack of access to hygiene products impacts confidence, self-esteem and prospects in those who are most vulnerable. People miss out on employment and promotion opportunities. Women find themselves housebound because they can’t afford period products, children skip school because they don't have clean uniform or PE kit.”

Tesco Superstore Ballymena Community Champion, Ronny McFall

This weekend the local Project Co-ordinator, Jennie Watt, and Tesco Ballymena Community Champion, Ronny McFall, would be grateful for the support of the local community. To help shoppers simply need to buy one or two extra hygiene products and donate them to the collection point.

Community Champion for Tesco Ballymena, Ronny McFall, said:

“Tesco Superstore Ballymena had been working with The Hygiene Bank just before the pandemic, but then things were put on hold during lock down. Once restrictions were eased it became very apparent there was a need in our community.

“Like The Foodbank, Tesco Ballymena is very proud to support Jennie and The Hygiene Bank in our town.”

The Hygiene Bank has a number of permanent collection points in the area where donations can be made at anytime throughout the year. These include:

• Boots Pharmacies

• Bannside Pharmacy

• Portglenone Clear Pharmacy

• Portglenone Eden Hair & Beauty

• Glen10Gym

• Hays Travel Ballymena

• Headquarters, Newtownabbey

• Kennedy’s Pharmacy, Rasharkin

• McAtamneys Butchers, Galgorm

• McCarroll McConnell