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Little Village press release
Embargoed until 15:00 on Wednesday 8 June 2022
Duchess of Cambridge visits Little Village baby bank charity
The Duchess of Cambridge visited London baby bank charity, Little Village, today (Wednesday 8 June).
The Duchess joined staff, volunteers and supporters at the charity’s Brent hub in the UNCLE building in Wembley Central and helped to pick out clothes and equipment for a family who were also present. The bundle packed by The Duchess was the 20,000th such package to be given out by the charity.
The Duchess learnt about Little Village’s work providing essential equipment and clothing to families of under-5s. She also heard about how Little Village volunteers provide emotional support and practical advice over the phone to parents.
Little Village provides pre-loved clothes, toys and equipment for babies and children up to the age of five. It is London’s largest baby bank network and was set up in 2016 and has eight locations across capital. It has supported over 22,000 children – including 6,400 children in 2021 alone.
Sophie Livingston MBE, CEO of Little Village said:
“We were all absolutely delighted to welcome The Duchess of Cambridge to Little Village Brent. She met some of our staff and volunteers and helped to pick out some beautiful items of clothing for the family’s two young children.
“The Duchess really took her time to talk our staff and volunteers, who all said how down to earth she was and how engaged and interested she was in the work of Little Village.
“This is set to be our busiest year yet, and we expect to see a thousand more children than we did in 2021 and we know that baby banks across the country are facing similar demand.
“This boost from The Duchess will help to shine a light on the work of baby banks and will hopefully lead to increased support for their much-needed work.”
Mum, Sara* (not her real name), 26, has two children aged three and 18 months, she lives in north London. She said:
“It was incredible to meet The Duchess of Cambridge, she was really kind and listened to what I had to say. I told The Duchess how much Little Village has helped us, they have been like a second family to me.”
Volunteer Fouzia Khan, who met also met The Duchess, said:
“As a mother herself The Duchess really showed a lot of empathy and care about the work Little Village are doing. She was lovely and engaging and was keen to hear about how families feel when they visit our baby bank. She was very interested in hearing about how much thought and care goes into the bundles we prepare for families.”
There are thought to be over 150 baby banks across the country, many of which can be found on this map of baby banks on the Little Village website.
This is not the first time that Little Village has received support from The Duchess, who set up an initiative to bring together British brands to support baby banks in 2020. The Duchess then held zoom calls with some of the families Little Village has supported in February 2021, as part of its fifth anniversary celebrations.
Little Village needs volunteers to join its 600-strong volunteer team, you can find out more about volunteering here. To find out how to support Little Village please visit the Little Village website.
Ends
Notes to editors
For more information, contact Emma Gibbs, Little Village’s Communications Manager, on 07593 135 790.
Photos of the visit can be obtained via the Press Association.
About Little Village
Little Village is London’s largest baby bank network, with eight locations across the capital including in Brent (Wembley). The Brent hub opened in November 2021. Little Village equips families with pre-loved children’s clothes and baby essentials as well as linking them with key services.
It has grown to be one of the largest baby banks in the UK, bringing together over 600 volunteers to respond to nearly 20,000 requests for support over since launching in 2016, supporting over 22,000 children – including 6,400 children in 2021 alone.
About Little Village Brent
Little Village Brent was set up in November 2021 and is situated in the UNCLE building in Wembley Central. UNCLE gifted Little Village a 10-year lease on the space.