Sports broadcasters join forces to back hygiene poverty campaign supporting young people – with Tottenham and Raheem Sterling Foundation among first to sign up

The UK’s largest sports broadcasters are joining forces to support a coalition aimed at supporting hygiene poverty.

Sky, Prime Video, TNT Sports, and talkSPORT are combining in unprecedented show of solidarity to support The Multibank’s hygiene poverty campaign 2024.

The broadcasters will use their programming schedule to promote the cause as well as signposting fans to upcoming related matchday events during live shows.

Furthermore, Tottenham are the first Premier League club to sign up to the initiative, while the Raheem Sterling Foundation, Premiership Rugby side Harlequins and rugby league team Wigan Warriors have also committed.

Spurs are hosting a match-day fan donation drive during their home clash versus Fulham on December 1.

Donna-Maria Cullen, executive director at Tottenham Hotspur, said: ‘For many years, the club has made donations to its local foodbanks ahead of Christmas in support of the most vulnerable within our community.

Tottenham legend Ledley King, centre, joined workers as the club became the first Premier League outfit to back the initiative and confirmed match day collections on December 1

‘We are therefore delighted to be supporting The Multibank in its Christmas campaign around the too often overlooked issue of hygiene poverty. We are certain that our football family will unite to ensure young people in our area are able to build their confidence from an early stage in life by having access to basic hygiene products.’

The 2024 Christmas campaign – led by Kelly Hogarth, the architect of Marcus Rashford’s successful End Child Food Poverty initiative – is designed to raise awareness, and respond to the rising issues of hygiene poverty amongst young people, guaranteeing that they can head into 2025 equipped with the tools, assurance, and confidence they need to maximise their potential in the classroom.

For 46 percent of households, washing detergent is considered a luxury item on the shopping list, rising in cost at a rate of 41.6 percent in three years.

Similarly, 42 percent of households are without deodorant, 400,000 are without soap or toothpaste.

School staff are recognising the problem and have noted withdrawal and bullying has risen as a result.

For more information visit: https://themultibank.co.uk/