THERE isn’t enough help to go around after the cost-of-living crisis left an unfathomable amount of parents in a dire situation.
That’s the view of baby bank worker Stacey Brayshaw.
The 47-year-old says donations of second-hand items poured in before the Covid-19 pandemic - but intake at Gloucestershire Bundles has hugely plummeted over the last three years.
“We’re not seeing donations come in like they used to years ago,” she tells Fabulous for our Baby, Bank On Us campaign, in partnership with Save The Children and Little Village in support of UK baby banks.
“We wouldn’t be able to move in the unit, but we held a donation evening recently and just couldn’t get the same amount of stuff.
“Each request comes in and seems to be more heartbreaking than the last.”
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The mum-of-two warned that Britain’s refugee crisis means “a lot of babies are being born in hotel rooms at the moment” to mums with only the clothes on their backs.
Gloucestershire Bundles is in need of a spectrum of donations, from toiletries and clothes all the way to prams and sterilisers.
Stacey noted a spike in expectant mums not realising short they are on parenting essentials until the very last minute.
“We’re seeing more and more new mums saying they can manage but suddenly realising they need help at the last minute,” Stacey said. “People struggle to ask for help. Where do you go for help when you’ve got nobody to turn to?”
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She added that teen mums have been particularly hit by the cost-of-living crisis, fuelled by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
How YOU can support Fabulous' Baby, Bank On Us campaign
- Give money by donating here or by scanning the QR code.
- Give clothing, toys and essentials to a baby bank, wherever you are in the UK.
- Give your time volunteering. To find your nearest baby bank, visit Littlevillagehq.org/uk-baby-banks.
The situation is so dire that the baby bank is considering making their bundles smaller so that it can provide for more families.
Their bundles include toiletries, nappies, clothes, wipes, blankets, toys and books, but can be tailored depending on the age.
The baby bank provides bundles for any children aged newborn up to 16-years-old.
When Gloucestershire Bundles, in Quedgeley, Gloucester, first started 14 years ago, it was based in chair Dawn Dolphin’s living room and mainly handed out toiletries.
After four years, it became a registered charity and moved to an office building to supply clothes, furniture, nappies and more.
That office is where Stacey found herself volunteering a few times a week because she “wanted to give something back”.
At the time, she was working nights on the door in a local pub - a job she did for 18 years before becoming a Gloucestershire Bundles employee three years ago.
Around that time, donations were so overwhelming that the charity moved to its current unit to keep up with demands and storage needs.
What are baby banks?
- Baby banks provide essential items for babies and young children whose parents are living in poverty – including nappies, wipes, clothing, bedding, Moses baskets, cots, blankets, toys and books.
- There are over 200 baby banks in the UK, and they run out of shops, community centres, warehouse units and even people’s living rooms and garages.
- Last year 4.2 million children in the UK were living in poverty and 800,000 children lived in a household that used a food or baby bank.
But the last three years have been hard on the baby bank which is calling for more donations.
Stacey fears that due to the cost-of-living crisis, people have less to donate, and that which they do have to donate they may sell for extra money to stay afloat.
Mums in need ask for single beds “on a daily basis”, she added.
Stacey has heard of children sleeping in drawers and on the floor as hard-hit mums cannot afford to buy so much as a Moses basket.
“The need is becoming so great,” she said. “There’s not enough hours in the day.”
Stacey was drawn to baby bank work due to the times she struggled in the past as a mum-of-two with a husband who was out of work due to a disability.
“Your circumstances can just change overnight,” she said. “When me and my husband decided to have children, we both thought we’d always be working.
“We never expected to be on benefits, and it’s really hard to navigate the benefit system.
“That’s why I don’t judge anyone and volunteer, I want to give back.
“You never know how your situation might change and where you need to go for help. Nobody ever expects that they’ll have to ask for nappies.”
Stacey’s favourite part about volunteering at Gloucestershire Bundles is the breadth of help they provide - from furnishing an expectant mum’s flat to giving a new coat to a young child who ripped theirs at school.
The baby bank works exclusively on a referral basis through healthcare professionals and social services.
The small team has around six people volunteering on an average day but is always looking for more volunteers.
Stacey urged people to remember that those struggling and relying on baby banks are in your community - and they need whatever help you can offer, be it donations, fundraising, volunteering or money.
“It’s on everyone’s door step and this is why I think Fabulous’ Baby, Bank On Us campaign is so important,” she says.
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“It opens people’s eyes. It could be the person living next door to you. Nobody knows what’s going on behind closed doors.
“We’re urging people to donate whatever they can to their local baby bank. You never know what you have lying unused in your attic that might change someone else’s life.”
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