Please note: Hug in a box is currently sold out. Thank you for all of your support!
Please note: Hug in a box is currently sold out. Thank you for all of your support!
Hug in a Box
Hug in a Box is a self-care box containing 5 locally sourced, quality products. Each item is hand-picked to nurture, inspire and encourage self-care.
By purchasing Hug in a Box, you will be making a real difference. All profits from your purchase will go towards giving care and support to and anyone experiencing homelessness or at risk of losing their home through poverty, crisis, abuse, mental ill-health or addiction in the North-East.
What is Hug in a Box?
Hug in a Box is a self-care box containing 5 locally sourced products, all picked to encourage you to relax and take some time out for yourself.
Our boxes also include access to a series of free mental-health resources to help you take care of your mental health and wellbeing.
You can buy your box for yourself, a friend or a loved one, or you can even choose to purchase a gift for one of our service users!
Whatever you decide, all profits from this project will go directly to supporting vulnerable people facing crisis and hardship in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire today. Please help us continue to support those still facing overwhelming challenges to make sure they have a safe place to call home.
Where do the profits go?
All money raised from Hug in a Box will go towards providing care and support for vulnerable people and anyone experiencing homelessness or at risk of losing their home through poverty, abuse and other forms of crisis.
We are proud to share that all of the products included in the box are sourced from small, local businesses. So by purchasing a box you will also be supporting local businesses in the North-East who, like many, have faced hardship during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Thank you for supporting local businesses!
Meet our suppliers!
The owners of Crafted Comforts, Lewis & Hazel, began their journey with crafting in 2018. Lewis had struggled a lot over the years with anxiety and depression and was forever spending a fortune on essential oils and bath products from popular high street brands to help to find relaxation. He began experimenting with bars of soap and bath bombs, it soon took off from there when he launched his first range of bath products. They have since had products in various stockists in and around Aberdeenshire and Morayshire!
Cairnwell Candle Company launched in 2020 with a vision to create luxury soy wax melts & reed diffusers. All products are handmade at their home in Aberdeenshire. Luxury vegan soy wax is used for every product!
Essentially You believe in a strong ethos of using natural products packaged in an eco-friendly way, all in an attempt to save the environment from plastic waste. Diane, owner of Essentially You, has held a diploma in Aromatherapy since July 1999 and has studied and used Essential Oils and their blends for all this time. The products are chemical free, palm oil free, paraben free and designed to benefit your skin.
Johanna Basford Colouring Books
Johanna Basford OBE is an Aberdeenshire illustrator who is a pioneer of the adult colouring book trend for mental health. Her illustrations are hand-drawn, and can be found in products such as colouring books, wallpaper, beer labels and even tattoos. In 2019 Joanna broke the Guiness World Record for creating the largest drawing by an individual!
Mackie's of Scotland is a Scottish ice cream and confectionery manufacturer based at Westertown Farm, Rothienorman, Aberdeenshire. All Mackie’s ice cream and chocolate is made on the family farm, with fresh, whole milk from their own dairy herd. The farm holds 330 cows and produce over 10 million litres of ice cream a year!
Our packaging was designed by Fara at Fara West Design. Fara is a Graphic Designer from Aberdeen who reached out to us to help with the branding for Hug in a Box. We wanted to make something fun but with a relaxed, calming feel and we think she's done an incredible job!
Why not gift Hug in a Box to one of our service users?
The cost-of-living crisis has shown us just how important it is to take care of ourselves; taking time out to relax and zone out from our daily stresses. However, the current crisis has been even more devastating on those without a safe place to call home.
From people sofa surfing, no longer able to rely on friends for a place to sleep, and those whose poverty means they have to choose between paying rent and feeding their family; to vulnerable people living with an abusive partner; or those with mental health and addiction challenges, unable to cope with this additional pressure: vulnerable people have faced hardship this year like never before.
During the lockdown, the number of people coming to us for support rose by a staggering 600%. Unfortunately, this is only the beginning, the pandemic has left its mark, and now we have a new cost-of-living crisis adding additional pressures and turned the world of so many upside down.
By purchasing Hug in a Box for one of our service users, you could be providing a much-needed pick-me-up for someone who is vulnerable and really struggling right now.
Thank you so much for being there for people in crisis.
“I decided to purchase a Hug in a Box for a service user as I wanted to do something to support someone struggling right now.
I know how unpredictable this year has been, and any of us could end up in a situation where we need a bit of help.”
Self Care Night
It’s important to look after yourself, so why not have a self care night?
Click on the self care night box for more information and ideas.
Our team
Hug in a Box has been created by Aberdeen Cyrenians to harness the kindness and compassion within the team. Back in 2020, we began discussing the impact the covid-19 pandemic had on our mental health, and the hardship we have all had to face surrounding isolation and loneliness.
So, we set out on a mission to find a way to provide a pick me up that matched the much needed ‘hug’ we are all craving!
We came up with the idea of ‘Hug in a Box’, a self-care box packed full of mood-lifting and self-care products, as well as positive mental health support. Our Hug in a Box contains special items to treat, comfort and reassure those who are struggling mentally or are just simply in need of a little pick-me-up.
We’ve had so much fun creating Hug in a Box, and we hope you will love it as much as we do. We also want to say a massive thank you to all of the local suppliers we have worked with in making this possible!
The Hug in a Box team!
Got any questions? Visit our Frequently Asked Questions page!