‘Shower gel is not a luxury
Deputy head Rebekah Wilson refuses to let her pupils go without hygiene basics. Here’s how she – and you – can help kids start the new term clean and ready to learn
distracted children is standard practice for teachers. But it was the reason why one particular child couldn’t focus that changed everything for deputy headteacher Rebekah Wilson.
“A boy in my class didn’t seem his normal happy self and he couldn’t concentrate for scratching his stomach,” says 33-year-old Rebekah, known as Bex. “He told me he didn’t have a bed at home, and the cushion he shared with his brother to sleep on was infested with bed bugs.”
This was the moment that Bex, who works at an inner city primary school in Leeds, realised the impact that hygiene poverty could have on her pupils and their education.
“Times are hard for some families who are having to choose what they can do without,” she says. “Hygiene items often get sacrificed.We’re not talking luxuries here, just the absolute basics like toilet roll, shampoo, deodorant, shower gel and soap.
“Going without these things affects kids’ self-esteem. Imagine what it’s like if you can’t keep yourself clean or you don’t have clean clothes? It can really stop children learning, engaging and taking part at school and it can lead to bullying or them being singled out.”
‘We need to ensure every family has access to the basics, and remove the stigma of asking for support’
Happily there’s an organisation that’s helping to relieve the pressure. The Hygiene Bank, which stresses that being clean is a basic human right, collects new, unused, in-date personal care and household cleaning essentials and distributes them to families in need through schools like Bex’s and charities. And Boots has been supporting The Hygiene Bank by hosting more than 400 banks in stores across the UK where customers can donate their own hygiene products. The company then donates four products for every kilogram that has been donated. Toothbrushes and toothpaste are two items Bex knows are particularly needed. “So many children are coming to school with tooth problems now,” she says.
“Bad dental health can cause a lot of pain and distress and really affect children’s confidence.”
But something as simple as shampoo or shower gel can also improve the wellbeing and happiness of those struggling to stay afloat. “I had a mum in tears the other day because we’d given her a hygiene package that included some shower gel. As little as a 75p bottle can make a difference. She said it felt like Christmas.”
Another mum had just £10 left for her weekly shopping. “She needed nappies, washing powder and washing up liquid. She didn’t know what to buy because she knew she couldn’t get it all.”
Hygiene products provided through The Hygiene Bank across the UK help fill the gap. “We all deserve a certain minimum,” says Bex. “We need to ensure every family has access to these basics, and remove the stigma of asking for support, making sure that families are treated with respect.”