Hilary Vick

Nappy Ever After (NEA) is a cotton nappy laundry service based in Hackney, East London. When Hilary Vick started NEA in 2003 she had no idea whether there was a market for a nappy laundry service in London. With the help of a CRED lottery grant NEA ran a subsidised laundry service and within 2 years was collecting 8,000 nappies per week from households and nurseries to be laundered, diverting approx. 2 tonnes of disposable nappy waste a week from landfill and incineration. Since the Lottery grant finished NEA has been self-sustaining. NEA still outsources the laundering of nappies. To expand the nappy laundry service and secure a reliable future for the business the next step is to establish and manage its own eco-laundry.

Hilary Vick is still a director of NEA but also runs the ‘Real Nappies for London’ campaign. Established in 2007 this pan-London real nappy information scheme offers local authorities a service of marketing and processing vouchers for residents to buy reusable nappies or try a nappy laundry service.