De Montfort University, Leicester (DMU) is calling on staff, students and the local community to help pack 10,000 hygiene kits for children and families across the UK.

The Soaper Stars Pick & Pack event, organised by DMU’s Germ’s Journey Charity spin out, will take place at DMU on Thursday 15 and Friday 16 October, bringing together DMU staff, students and members of the community for a two-day volunteering event.

The event begins on Global Handwashing Day on 15 October, an annual global advocacy day highlighting the importance of hand hygiene in preventing the spread of infection.

Each Soaper Star pack will contain educational resources and practical hygiene products designed to promote infection prevention, hand hygiene and healthy behaviours. The packs will be distributed to schools, hospitals and community organisations nationwide.

On behalf of the Germs Journey team, Professor Katie Laird, said: "At Germ's Journey, we believe that good hygiene habits can change lives.

“The Soaper Stars Pick & Pack event combines infection control and prevention,  education, community action and practical support, enabling thousands of children and families to access resources that promote lifelong health and wellbeing."

The event is open to all, with volunteers able to take part for a few hours or across both days. It also offers opportunities to develop teamwork, communication, leadership and community engagement skills.

Support for the initiative comes from Metis Health, Elipse Health, Pfizer, Cheeky Panda, the Worshipful Company of Environmental Cleaners, Knowlex, Supra Perfecta, Project Merchandise and other sponsors. Financial support has been provided to Germ’s Journey as a grant from Pfizer Ltd.

Germ’s Journey was developed from research at DMU by microbiology and education experts Professor Katie Laird, Professor Sarah Younie and Dr Sapphire Crosby. The research led to the creation of the educational brand, which helps teach young people about the importance of handwashing. Germ’s Journey has reached children worldwide through books, teaching resources, online platforms, games and videos, helping young people learn about germs and hygiene.

In 2024, the Germ’s Journey team helped DMU achieve a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title for the largest online hand hygiene lesson (multiple venues), with 4,492 children taking part at the same time.

Volunteers will help assemble the 10,000 packs during the two-day event, which will benefit thousands of children and families across the UK.

The Soaper Stars Pick & Pack event takes place at DMU on 15 and 16 October. To volunteer or find out more, visit the event webpage.

Posted on Thursday 1 October 2026