One hundred guests applauded on the evening of Tuesday, 27 September after a sell-out event at London’s prestigious Ivy restaurant raised over £13,000 and a further £8,000 in product donations to help The Hygiene Bank charity in its work to alleviate hygiene poverty.

Organiser, and CEO of family owned Cleanology, Dominic Ponniah, said: “The generosity and engagement of our industry has been astonishing. This year, we recruited sponsors who have championed the cause and helped us take the event to a new level. We are really proud to see so many industry representatives coming together to achieve a common goal. With the cost-of-living biting more each day, there has never been a more important time to support the work of The Hygiene Bank.

“Figures show that one in three people in the UK has had to go without hygiene essentials, with people choosing to forego hygiene products before they are forced to accept donations from a food bank. With inflation currently at 10.1 per cent, and poorer households facing the brunt of the impact*, these people really need our support.”

Ruth Brock, CEO at The Hygiene Bank, said: “The Hygiene Bank is so grateful to Dominic Ponniah and Cleanology and all the sponsors of this event for their fantastic generosity. We are thrilled to have raised crucial funds for the charity’s work and to have had the chance to raise awareness of hygiene poverty and how it affects the lives of millions of people across the UK. As the need for our work grows, we need more individuals and companies to follow in their footsteps and join us, as we work together to end hygiene poverty for good.”

The event was backed by six of the biggest names in the industry – Bridge Recruitment, the Cleenol Group, Darwin Clayton, Liberty Hygiene, Truvox International and Zep UK. They joined guests from all areas of business and media and included organisations such as the British Institute of Cleaning Science and the Living Wage Foundation. The evening saw competitive bidding for auction and raffle items such as tickets to the Regents Park Open Air Theatre, a night’s stay at Soho House and champagne provided by royal vintners Berry Bros, & Rudd.

Guests at Clapham, South West London-based Cleanology’s annual fundraiser included Chris Forbes, Founder of Cheeky Panda; Paul Evans, CEO of Carlisle Support Services; Dennis Flower, Editor of FM Business daily; Michelle Marshall, Editor of European Cleaning Journal; First Mile; Coutts Bank; Royal Bank of Scotland; Industrial Cleaning Equipment (ICE) and Karcher.

Paul Evans, CEO of Carlisle Support Services, said: “As an organisation that is always looking at ways of ‘giving back’ I was pleased to represent Carlisle Support Services, at this very poignant industry events. Never more so has it been important to ensure everyone is able to access basic hygiene products in the UK, and it was great to hear about the great work The Hygiene Bank, and supporting organisations, are doing in this regard. With the ever-increasing cost-of-living crisis I am keen to ensure we raise the awareness of this key issue.”