Proverb Skin, a local Derbyshire skincare company has teamed up with the national charity The Hygiene Bank to provide hand sanitiser to schools, supporting them to distribute it to children in hygiene poverty across the country.
According to In Kind Direct (2017) 8 in 10 primary school teachers say that they have seen a rise in the number of children coming to school unwashed or not looking presentable in the last five years.
This figure has become increasingly worrying throughout the past year since the Covid-19 crisis - where washing your hands and staying on top of your hygiene has been imperative to daily life.
Kirstie Sherriff, co-founder of Proverb Skin explained why they wanted to help: “We launched our hand sanitising spray back in December 2019 for gyms and spas - but when the pandemic hit, we knew we had to focus our efforts in helping those in need.”
“We introduced our one-for-one sanitiser pledge, for every hand sanitiser sold - we will match it and send it to the Hygiene Bank, who distribute the sanitiser to schools across the country” the Melbourne local continued.
Before the pandemic over 14 million people were living in poverty within the UK, that is over one fifth of the population (source: Social Metrics Commission) - meaning that countless people are unable to afford many of the everyday basics like hygiene and personal grooming products most of us take for granted. The reality of poverty is that it can restrict people’s options, leaving many caught between being able to heat their homes, pay the rent, eat or keep clean.
The spray sanitiser contains 70% alcohol to meet all government guidelines, alongside essential oils such as lavender, eucalyptus, eucalyptus and geranium to take away the typical “tequila” smell, you usually get with sanitiser. An ideal solution for both parents and children as you can spray this on surfaces, hands, door handles and anything you can think of, in order to keep people safe.
Brands and Schools Manager for The Hygiene Bank, Amy Harris said after one such shipment to a school in Northampton: “The school was totally overwhelmed by the donation. They could not believe Proverb skin had been so generous. They are now able to provide their vulnerable students with a bottle for home and to use at school too. They were over the moon.”
Parents have since noted how helpful the sanitiser is for children, as it is a spray non-stick sanitiser, kids are less inclined to wipe it off after they have used it.
Going forward, Proverb has pledged to continue this partnership with The Hygiene Bank post Covid-19 pandemic, as both brands believe that it should never be a privilege to feel clean.