Tag: The Big House Multibank

The Big House Multibank launches campaign to support child hygiene

  • Amazon supports with the launch of You Buy. We Donate which will donate thousands of hygiene products to local families in need
  • The Big House Multibank is a charity initiative formed by former Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Amazon, which has donated essential items to over 120,000 families in need acrossScotland

The Big House Multibank in Fife is calling on local residents to support its drive to combat hygiene poverty in the region and help to ensure children can return to school this week feeling comfortable in their own skin.

To kick-start the campaign, Amazon has joined forces with its suppliers of well-known household brands including Unilever, L’Oréal, and Colgate-Palmolive to deliver thousands of hygiene products to families in need acrossFife via The Multibank charity.

From today until 28 January, for every two purchases on Amazon.co.uk from a selection of over 800 personal hygiene, household and baby products, Amazon and its suppliers will donate a third item to the network of Multibanks across the UK, including The Big House Multibank, Fife.

According to a recent survey for The Hygiene Bank, teachers are spending £40 million out of their own pockets to combat the effects hygiene poverty in the classroom as 1 in 4 children (28%) are reported to be regularly missing school because they or their clothes or kit are not clean.

Former UK Prime Minister Rt Hon Gordon Brown, said: “I’m delighted Amazon, whose surplus stocks are already a mainstay of Multibank goods, are launching a multi-business collaboration amongst hygiene companies to increase the amount of hygiene goods supplied to our Multibanks. I thank all the companies involved.

“We know The Multibanks are making a real difference keeping hard-pressed families facing the future with some hope of better days ahead. We must now keep innovating how we do charitable work in our communities because too many children need the help right now and teachers tell us that keeping kids clean and smelling fresh is for them a priority issue.”

Kirsty Thomson, CEO of The Big House Multibank, said: “Rising living costs are forcing people into impossible situations where they’re having to choose between feeding their families, and keeping them clean.

“Family finances are under even more pressure during the winter months so we are grateful to Amazon and its suppliers for their commitment to unlock more hygiene products which will provide life-changing support to the most vulnerable in our communities.”

John Boumphrey, Amazon UK Country Manager, said: “We are incredibly proud to have supported the foundation and growth of The Big HouseMultibank.

“We want to support their drive to combat hygiene poverty across the region helping as many families in need as possible. By working together with our suppliers and our customers, we hope to generate hundreds of thousands more donations.”

Chris Barron, General Manager for Personal Care UK&I at Unilever, said: “The support that The Multibank provides is so important, helping households that are facing hygiene poverty to access the daily products that help people to feel clean and confident.

“We know that together we can do more, so we’re really pleased to be partnering with Amazon with a shared commitment to get more products to the charities and people that need them most.”

Brands participating in You Buy. We Donateare Amazon brands by Amazon, and Mama Bear, as well as, Dove, Elvive, Colgate, Garnier, L’Oréal Paris, Lynx, Men Expert, Nivea, Palmolive, Radox, Revitalift, Sanex, SheaMoisture, Simple, Sure, Tommee, Tippee TRESemme, and Vaseline.

Transport logistics specialists, Palletline is providing logistics support for the campaign free of charge, handling the storage and onward distribution of all donations to The Multibank’s network of regional hubs.

Together with Mr Brown, Amazon formed the UK’s first Multibank in Scotland three years ago to redistribute surplus stock from its largest returns centre in Fife to local families in need.

A second Multibank in Wigan opened in 2023, followed by Swansea, London and Middlesbrough in 2024.

Working together with local charity partners and a network of suppliers, The Multibank movement has donated more than 5 million surplus essentials to help more than 500,000 families experiencing poverty.

Amazon Edinburgh team pack and donate thousands of back-to-school kits to local children

The kits of essentials are being distributed by The Big House Multibank, backed by Gordon Brown and Amazon

Employees from Amazon in Edinburgh have come together to pack and donate 2,500 backpacks filled with essential back-to-school items worth more than £30,000 to help ensure local children are equipped for the new school year.

The backpacks which contain essential items for pupils returning to school this month, including stationary suppliers, water bottles, and scientific calculators for secondary pupils, were donated to The Big House Multibank which distributes essential items to families in need across in Fife, Edinburgh, Dundee and Perth.




According to a recent study from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, teachers are ‘staggering’ under the extra demands caused by poverty in Great Britain, diverting them away from their core teaching role.

The report found that 7 in 10 (73%) staff in primary schools across Britain say supporting pupils who cannot afford the essentials is a challenge in their school. It results in teachers and GPs informally acting as emergency providers and social workers alongside their day jobs, as they devote time and resources to support struggling parents and children.

Kirsty Thomson, Chief Executive of The Big House Multibank, said: “The start of a new school year should be an exciting time for families but with the cost of living crippling so many in our communities, it’s become yet another financial worry for them.

“Through the donation of these back-to-school essentials from Amazon, The Big House Multibank hopes to provide children with the quality items they need to start the new school year ready to learn and with a smile on their faces.”

Adele Morgan, an employee from Amazon in Dunfermline who took part in the kit packing, said: “I had a great time packing the kits alongside my team.

“It’s a very rewarding feeling when we deliver the kits and see the difference it will make to children and families across Fife and beyond. Thank you, Amazon, for this opportunity!”

The Big House Multibank in Kirkaldy was founded in 2022 by former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Amazon and The Cottage Family Centre, together with local businesses and suppliers.

It provides surplus essentials, such as hygiene products, household essentials, school uniforms, and bedding donated by businesses, like Amazon, directly to those in need. Since launch, it has helped to distribute 2.2 million donated products to households in need across East Scotland.