Over 130 guests applauded this week after a sell-out event at London’s iconic Shakespeare Globe Theatre raised a record-breaking £22,000 in cash and a further £10,000 in product donations to help The Hygiene Bank charity in its work to alleviate hygiene poverty.

Event organiser and CEO of office and commercial cleaning company Cleanology, Dominic Ponniah, said: “We have been overwhelmed by the generosity and support of our industry this year. Now in its third year, this event has grown from strength to strength every year and this year we have been oversubscribed once again. It’s testimony to how the FM industry has rallied together for a cause as significant as hygiene poverty, and with the cost of living crisis only getting worse, there has never been a more important time to support the work of the Hygiene Bank. We are hugely grateful to everyone who got involved this year.”

Ponniah added: “In October 2022, YouGov published Hygiene Poverty 2022, commissioned by The Hygiene Bank, the first comprehensive, national, mixed methodology research report into the scale and impact of hygiene poverty in the UK. Over 3.1 million adults in the UK are living in Hygiene Poverty and the research showed that hygiene products such as toothpaste, shampoo and laundry detergent are the first to be cut when budgets are tight”.

Ruth Brock, CEO of The Hygiene Bank, said: “The Hygiene Bank is deeply grateful to Dominic Ponniah and Cleanology and all the sponsors of this event for their fantastic generosity. Hygiene poverty is widespread, growing and disproportionately affects the most vulnerable. Millions of people are struggling with its impact – the stigma, embarrassment, damage to mental and physical health it brings. It’s a hidden poverty that blights life chances and limits opportunity – so it’s critical that more companies and more individuals follow in Cleanology’s footsteps to join us as we work together to end hygiene poverty for good. Cleanology’s generosity and support will make a meaningful difference today and takes us a crucial step forward on that journey.”

The event – held on 3 October in The Balcony Room at the Globe Theatre – was sponsored by six of the biggest names in the industry – Bridge Recruitment, Darwin Clayton, Futures Supplies, Liberty Hygiene, Evans Vanodine plc and The Cheeky Panda. The evening saw competitive bidding for auction and raffle prizes such as Tea at The Ritz, a Banksy print, dinner for six at trendy eatery Dishoom, a Chanel brooch, Spurs match tickets and a Fortnum & Mason luxury hamper.

Guests at Cleanology’s annual fundraiser – who also enjoyed networking, drinks and canapés at the scenic venue next to the River Thames – included Chris Forbes, Founder of Cheeky Panda; Paul Evans, CEO of Carlisle Support Services; Phil Smith, Chair of the Hill Club; Nick Winstone, Founder of Biovate Hygienics; and Jordan Hurley, Founder of SOAP2O; as well as representatives from leading industy firms including Ark Pest Control, BigChange, CBRE, Cleenol Group, Greenspeed, Industrial Cleaning Equipment (ICE), Nilfisk, Planet Mark, Recorra, Robert Scott, Sitemark, Ucomply and WhiffAway.

Nick Winstone, MD and Co-Founder of Biovate Hygienics, said: “It has been an honour to have been invited to Cleanology’s annual fundraiser for the Hygiene Bank, since the inception of the event three years ago and watch it grow and do more good every year. As a charity that aligns so well with our industry, Dominic Ponniah and Cleanology have done both the Hygiene Bank and the broader industry a service by highlighting the good work they are doing at a grassroots level.”

In September 2021, Cleanology – headquartered in Vauxhall, South West London – held its first charity event which raised over £14,000 for The Hygiene Bank, a national charity that alleviates poverty by providing hygiene products to those in need.

Due to the enormous success of that event, the wide publicity generated, and the amount of money raised through the raffle and auction, an even bigger event was held at The Ivy in London in September 2022, raising over £20,000.