The Hygiene Bank Moira awarded £1,000 to go towards ending hygiene poverty

Each bag contains products and a luxury item that the recipients might not normally otherwise receive.

The Hygiene Bank Moira, part of a UK-wide organisation, is a grassroots, people-powered charity and social movement whose goal is to ensure that everyone living in the UK has access to essential hygiene products.

They bring communities, businesses and thought leaders together to tackle hygiene poverty by giving access to products and being a voice for change.

It comes as the £5K Centra Choices Community Fund was launched by the leading convenience retail brand as part of the Centra Choices campaign, celebrating the choices that define us. The campaign focused on four behaviours that promote happiness in ourselves and others - Positivity, Kindness, Respect and Attitude.

Applicants for the grants had to demonstrate how their group benefits the wider community and how their work aligns with one of the four behaviours celebrated in the campaign. With five individual pots of £1K available, with The Hygiene Bank Moira was selected from over 150 applicants.

Catherine, The Hygiene Bank Moira coordinator, said: “Thank you so much to Centra for selecting us to receive this grant. The Hygiene Bank Moira is made up completely of volunteers, so this donation from Centra will make a huge difference to our community.

“We provide essential hygiene products to local organisations and schools to help end hygiene poverty. This grant will help us kick start our Christmas #ItsInTheBag campaign where we provide packs filled with products, linking in with various organisations including Home Start, Women's Aid and Foodbanks. Thank you for helping us, help others."

Jennifer Morton, Centra brand manager added: “At Centra, we choose community. We launched this fund to give back to the neighbourhoods in which we operate and show support at a grassroots level. I am thrilled to see The Hygiene Bank Moira as one of the five recipients of this fund. We hope this money will help them to continue their important and life-changing work.”

Community groups Keady First Responders, Craigavon Lakers Wheelchair Basketball Club, Hands That Talk and St Matthews GAC Drumsurn have also been awarded Choices grants.