'Helping people in hygiene poverty gives dignity'

As volunteers organise daily donations at the community larder they explain that "hygiene poverty" is on the rise.

A bag of bottled shower gels and body washes had just been donated to the hygiene bank at the Ferndown Community Support CIC.

Councillor Hannah Hobbs-Chell set up the not-for-profit organisation and says it has seen an increase in demand for cleaning products as people prioritise buying food.

"It's about being able to be normal, clean and presentable and it's about people having dignity and dignity is vital," she added.

The Ferndown centre is one of the drop-off locations for people in Dorset, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight to donate their in-date, unused and unwanted toiletries and household cleaning products during January, for the BBC Radio Solent Soapbox Appeal.

The community larder is seeing more people who are in financial crisis actively choosing to buy food over hygiene products because they can't afford both.

Anyone can use the larder but around 60% of their users are retired.

Ms Hobbs-Chell says being made redundant, losing a job, or experiencing a family break-up can cause a dramatic change in people's finances: "We have a mix of families, single parents, a small homeless population so it a variety of ages and social mixes."

She adds that not having enough money to buy hygiene products impacts people's mental health.

"If you keep people supported and feeling cared for and well looked after, and then people feel like they can do it, they have people behind them and they are not on their own," she says.

Marie, who moved from South Africa to Ferndown, volunteers at the larder on a weekly basis: "You often think people don't go hungry - but they do. I think sometimes people judge people, sometimes things happen, you get divorced you're left with nothing, you lose your job, you're left with nothing, you could have an accident.

"A woman I met when they did a fundraiser made a donation and said when her partner died and she was left with a child, she would not have survived without the food bank.

"That brought tears to my eyes and that made me realise how judgemental we can be."

Unopened hygiene items can be donated to the BBC Radio Solent Soapbox Appeal at drop-off locations across Hampshire, Dorset and the Isle of Wight.

There's a full list of what is needed and where it can be donated on the BBC Radio Solent Make a Difference page here.

You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.