Newborns could have nowhere safe to sleep this Christmas, warns baby bank charity

Little Village press release – for immediate release: Monday 21 November 2022

Baby bank charity, Little Village, said today that it has supported 1000 newborn babies in 2022. This is the highest number of newborn babies in one year that the charity has supported since being set up in 2016.

Little Village said it is now gearing up to provide essentials to the families of almost 100 more newborn babies between now and Christmas.

Such is demand for its service, the charity urgently needs donations of pre-loved newborn clothing, cots and equipment.

Little Village runs a network of baby banks across London, providing clothes, toys and equipment for babies and children up to the age of five. It accepts excellent quality, pre-loved items and passes them on to families needing extra support.

2022 has been the busiest year to date for Little Village.  The cost-of-living crisis has caused a surge in families referred to the charity, with record numbers in need with of essentials for their babies and young children. The charity has supported over 6,000 children this year and anticipates supporting over 9,000 next year.

Little Village has had to put a cap on the number of families it helps each week as it is unable to keep up with demand.

It is asking for donations of items for newborn babies, including:

• Cots, cribs and moses baskets (no used mattresses as they have to be bought new)
• Bedding
• Prams and buggies
• Newborn clothing – especially warm items

The charity has seen a drop in the number of donated items and charity bosses think that people are being forced to sell things due to rising living costs.

Sophie Livingstone, CEO of Little Village, said:

“We will be helping an exceptionally high number of families expecting babies in the run-up to Christmas. At the same time, we’ve seen a drop in the number of items being donated. Due to the cost-of-living crisis, we think that people are being forced to sell their goods on sites like Vinted or eBay, rather than donating them to charities like us.

“We urgently need items for newborns, especially warm clothing, bedding, cots and moses baskets. There is a very real risk that these newborn babies could go cold or have nowhere safe to sleep this Christmas unless we receive more donated items.

“We’d be so grateful to anyone who is able to bring donations into our donation hubs or post them to us. We also have an online list of essentials like nappies that people can order.”

An expectant mum recently supported by Little Village, Aysha* (name changed for anonymity), said:

“My husband and I both work for the NHS. We just don’t have enough money to purchase new things for the baby. Now we’ve got these things from Little Village we can use them and return them back when we’re done.

“Without the support of Little Village there would be a lot of physical and mental stress. I’ve saved about £1000 here on things like the cot, I can spend that money on my family.

“This has given us much relief when thinking of what to buy, when to buy … It’s really kept the stress down.”

Information about how to donate items can be found on the Little Village website.

Ends

Notes to editors

Find out how to donate items here: https://littlevillagehq.org/donate-stuff/

Buy essentials like nappies and toiletries here: https://www.forcommongood.co.uk/apps/giftregistry/registry/128949