Gloves Off for a Good Cause at DMU's Leicester Nursing School

Nursing students training at De Montfort University, Leicester (DMU), are helping raise cash for brain tumour research by donating their special medial gloves.

Thousands of pairs of disposable medical gloves are used and discarded each year by student nurses training at the renowned Leicester Nursing School at DMU.

Now, in a new initiative for the school, those gloves are being collected and recycled into rubber pellets which are then turned into benches, children’s playground equipment and other goods. Profits from sales are then given to Yorkshire-based Brain Tumour Charity, Ellie’s Fund, which honours the legacy of Ellie Othick-Bowmaker who was diagnosed at 11-years-old girl with a high-grade brain tumour and dedicated herself to fundraising until she died at 14.

The driving force behind DMU’s involvement in the scheme has been driven by Senior Clinical Skills Lecturer Hannah Taylor-Rollings, who wanted to improve the Leicester School of Nursing’s carbon footprint. 

“After doing a bit of searching, I have found a charity that collects and recycles disposable gloves whilst raising money for a good cause,” she said.

“I really liked the idea of doing something good for the environment as we dispose of thousands of clinical gloves every year and now, we can turn this into something positive.”

A first batch of around 1,600 gloves, weighing in at eight kilogrammes will be sent to the charity in January and other batches will follow.

Students on the Adult Nursing course are very much on board. Maisie Biggs said: “This project opens up a valuable opportunity to reduce waste and contribute to a more sustainable approach to the disposal of clinical gloves.

“The fact that the recycled gloves support a charity which funds children’s brain tumour research makes this initiative even more impactful.”

Clamarver Samuel-Nicholas, said: “For me, I want to know that my children will be growing up in a sustainable world.

“If we start that process now, feeding into the bigger sustainability picture, then hopefully we can help to make a difference for future generations.”

Mercy Larkour Opata, said: “It’s such a unique idea to turn the gloves into something that contributes to sustainability whilst also raising money for a worthy cause.

“Giving to charity is something that is very important to me and I think that it’s a brilliant idea that the end product can help make a difference to someone’s life or even save a life.”