Need help?
Get help
To receive our help, you need to be referred by a professional, such as a midwife, health visitor, food bank or local mutual support groups.
What support is available
Little Village provides equipment, clothes and toys to families with children under the age of 5. Everything we provide is donated by other families — we talk about items being ‘a gift from one family to another.’
Our work has been affected by the pandemic, and we are currently only able to offer support to families who live in certain London boroughs.
If you live in one of the boroughs listed below, we can provide clothing and shoes (up to age 5), essential baby equipment — including a safe place to sleep for your baby, mattress only for older children (cot or cotbed size), bedding, a sling, limited books and toys, nappies and wipes — and toiletries for one adult and any children under 5.
Who we can help
We can supply clothing and kit for families who live in the following boroughs of London listed below. We can currently only support:
- Families with a newborn baby (30 weeks pregnant or baby under 3 months) or
- Families in emergency situations with nothing for their children (for example: victims of domestic violence, trafficking, modern slavery or recent asylum arrivals).
If you don’t live in one of these areas, view the UK baby banks map to find your local baby bank. You can also find a list of family support resources here, including other ways to source baby equipment and clothing, as well as more general support.
What to expect
Once you have received a referral, we would normally invite you in to see us and choose the items that you need. Sadly, because of social distancing, we can’t do that at the moment.
Instead, one of our team members will phone you. We will talk through the items that you need and you will have the chance to tell us anything about your situation that would be useful for us to know. For example, if you need a narrow buggy to fit through a narrow doorway, please let us know. Or if your 2 year old actually wears size 4-5 clothes, please tell us!
We will also check your address details; it’s really important we have the right address so that we can deliver your items to you.
What will you receive?
We will send you a box (or boxes) packed with the items you asked for. Any bigger items will be packed separately. We will send up to 40 items of clothing per child up to age 5, plus coats and shoes, as well as any equipment, toys and books requested.
Everything is second hand (apart from mattresses, nappies, toiletries and bottle teats, which we supply new) but it’s all in great condition and will have been checked for safety.
What happens next?
When all your items are packed, we will call you to let you know when they will be delivered to your home. If you can’t be in, please find a neighbour or safe place where we can leave the items for you. One of our friendly volunteers or a courier working on our behalf will deliver to your doorstep. We can’t bring them into your house, so if you’re expecting heavy items such as a cot and can’t lift these yourself, it would be good to have a friend or neighbour who can help.
Because we are experiencing very high demand for our support, it might take around 4 weeks from the date of your referral to when you receive your items. However, if you are in a very urgent situation, we will do what we can to support you sooner.
Other sources of help
If you don’t meet our criteria for support, or don’t live in one of the boroughs listed above, there are other ways you can receive help.
View our list of family support resources, for other ways you can find baby equipment and clothing, along with lots of useful resources.
View a map of other baby banks in the UK to find one near to where you live.
Get a referral
To get help from Little Village, please show your midwife, health visitor or support group this website and ask them to make a referral for you.