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Overwhelming Support for Hope Hand Cream Scheme

Person putting hand sanitiser on hands

A Liverpool Hope University project gifting free hand cream to hospital nurses has received more than £1,400 in donations in its first week.

And now organisers - who have been ‘blown away’ by support - plan to expand the initiative even further. 

The venture was launched in response to the ongoing Coronavirus crisis. 

The constant washing of hands strips the skin of its natural protective oils, causing it to dry out and become painful. 

That’s a real issue for frontline hospital staff who can end up soaping their hands more than a hundred times each day. 

Which is why Hope set up a scheme where hand cream purchased through charitable donations can be shipped directly to nurses at Royal Liverpool and Aintree hospitals.

Originally, the plan was to supply hand cream solely to the hospitals’ Intensive Treatment Unit (ITU) wards.

But now co-organiser Fiona Hough, a former ITU and A&E nurse who works in the External Relations department at Hope, says they’re now expanding the project to A&E departments, as well as dedicated Covid-19 wards, after donations started flooding in. 

Fiona said: “We have been absolutely blown away by the sheer numbers of people who have generously donated. 

“To have received more than £1,400 in the space of a few short days is overwhelming. 

“And having spoken to nurses on the wards, they’re absolutely thrilled, too. 

“We never anticipated such a response, so having now placed the first order we’re looking to expand the scope to include more and more wards at the hospitals.

“For us as a University and community institution, we want to give something back to those selfless, heroic individuals working for the NHS in the face of such an unparalleled crisis.”

Anyone interested in helping the project is asked to donate the cost of a hand cream - £4 - via Hope’s online store

Lisa Mottram, Data Analyst at Hope and who’s also part of the donation project, says they’ve struck a deal with Body Shop At Home to supply the hand cream. 

And she’s keen to point out that Body Shop At Home is waiving any commission, and instead putting it back into the donation pot. 

She adds: “A simple tube of hand cream is a small gesture, but it’s one that we hope can help make a nurse’s job that bit more comfortable. 

“Having spoken to nurses at the hospitals, we know dry and cracked skin is a real issue and they’re grateful for the support.”

The local media has also been quick to champion the Hope project. 

It’s been featured in the Liverpool Echo newspaper while Lisa was also invited to chat about the initiative on Liverpool’s Radio City station. 

In order to protect yourself from Coronavirus, The NHS say you should wash your hands for the amount of time it takes to sing "Happy Birthday" twice - around 20 seconds. 

The World Health Organisation adds: “Wash your hands with soap and water, and dry them thoroughly. Or use alcohol-based handrub if you don’t have immediate access to soap and water.”

** To sign up go here


*** And you can hear Lisa discuss the project on this Podcast - fast forward to 17 minutes: https://audioboom.com/posts/7546547-covidcast-april-2nd
 
 

Published on 03/04/2020