Two charities have paid for 400 backpacks of toiletries for East Riding children who come into care at short notice. Each child keeps the bag.

Children who come into care in the East Riding at short notice will now be handed a backpack of their own. Two charities have paid for 400 of them, filled with basic toiletries. East Riding of Yorkshire Council announced the donation on Wednesday 28 October.

The bags are for the children who arrive with nothing, often in an emergency. The council will keep them in stock so one can be handed over straight away. Each child keeps the bag and what is in it. (East Riding of Yorkshire Council, 28 October 2026)

Who paid for them

The project cost £5,000, split equally between two charities:

Charity Contribution
HEY Smile Foundation, through the East Riding Youth Grants programme £2,500
Nurture a Child, matching it £2,500
Total £5,000, for 400 backpacks

That works out at £12.50 a bag, contents included.

What is in each bag

The council lists everyday essentials:

  • shower gel and shampoo
  • toothpaste and a toothbrush
  • a wash cloth
  • deodorant
  • sanitary products, where appropriate

Why it matters

Jamie Lewis, chief executive of the HEY Smile Foundation, spent time in the care system as a child. He said arriving in care “can be an incredibly uncertain and unsettling time. You may not know what is going to happen next or even have the basic things that you need with you.”

“We can’t change the circumstances that have brought a child into care,” he said, “but together with Nurture a Child and East Riding of Yorkshire Council, we can help make that moment a little easier.”

Councillor Victoria Aitken, the council’s cabinet member for children, families and education, thanked both charities. She said the bags “will make such a difference to children and young people when they may not have been able to bring their own belongings”.

What it means for you

  • If you are a child or young person coming into care, a bag should be ready for you. It is yours to keep and reuse.
  • If you foster in the East Riding, the council holds the bags centrally, so a child placed with you in an emergency can be given one at the start.
  • If you are thinking about fostering, the council’s fostering service explains how to start.

Sources