Wigan charity stocks up on toiletries as business helps to tackle hygiene poverty

Cloud Perspective has been a regular supporter of charity The Brick and spearheaded an initiative to address period poverty last year.

Now they are going even further and tackling the often overlooked issue of hygiene poverty at a time when more people are facing homelessness and poverty, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The firm is making monthly donations to buy toiletries and grooming products for people who really need them.

Martyn Leman, CEO at Cloud Perspective, said: “Following the period poverty initiative we realised that the issue of hygiene poverty is affecting more people than ever before and we are expecting this to increase following the Covid-19 crisis.

“We want to help The Brick to provide people and families with a range of hygiene products, from sunscreen in the summer, hand cream in the winter through to hand sanitiser and more.”

Keely Dalfen, finance and commercial director at The Brick, said: “Hygiene poverty is a significant problem for those facing financial pressures and can affect the mental health and well-being of those experiencing it.

“Research from the Trussell Trust revealed that people stop buying toiletries long before they visit a food bank. It is items such as toothpaste, deodorant and even sunscreen, that most of us take for granted, that people living in hygiene poverty cannot afford and often will go without.

“We are grateful for the continued support from Cloud Perspective, in particular during such difficult times. Their provision of toiletries will help us begin to address the hygiene poverty issue in our borough and will help families and individuals who right now are caught between being able to heat their home, pay their rent, eat or be clean.”