- London-based baby bank charity Little Village has received £105,000 in funding from the Fusion21 Foundation towards its maternity packs project.
- These packs contain supplies of great quality, pre-loved clothing and nappies for families in need of emergency financial support for their newborns.
- The packs are distributed to maternity units at hospitals across London, giving midwives a reliable supply.
New parents struggling to provide essential clothing and nappies for their newborn babies will be able to receive emergency maternity packs at hospitals across London thanks to charity Little Village and funding supplied by the Fusion21 Foundation.
Little Village runs a network of baby banks across the capital, with hubs in Camden, Tooting and Brent as well as a warehouse in Wandsworth.
Since it launched in 2016, it has supported more than 38,000 babies and children under five with essential items such as clothes, nappies, toys, books, buggies, and beds.
Each week, the number of requests for Little Village’s help exceeds its capacity and when its referral lines are open, they receive a request for help every 45 seconds.
The parents who receive support have a variety of reasons for needing help with the essentials they need for their children: from homelessness or insecure housing to relationship breakdown, domestic abuse, and escalating debt, as well as refugees or asylum seekers or those who do not earn enough to keep up with the cost of living.
Many new parents arrive at the hospital without any supplies for their babies. In response to this, Little Village created its maternity packs project at the start of 2024 to provide a more consistent supply of these essential items, meaning that midwives would be able to rely on having them available whenever needed.
Funding of £105,000 from the Fusion21 Foundation is helping make this a reality so that every single mother arriving at a hospital with nothing for their newborn can receive this crucial help and support.
Jo Hannan, Head of Fusion21 Foundation, said: “No parent should have to welcome a new baby without the essentials they need. It’s a time that should be filled with joy, but for too many families, financial struggles cast a shadow over what should be a happy moment.
“We’re proud to support Little Village’s vital maternity packs, which make an immediate difference to families in crisis.
“The £105,000 funding from the Fusion21 Foundation will ensure that families most in need can access essentials for their babies. Supporting health and wellbeing, and financial inclusion and resilience are core funding priorities for us, and this project is a powerful example of those commitments in action.”
Sophie Livingstone, CEO at Little Village, said: “The demand for support from our baby banks never fades and every day, parents tell us about the impossible choices families are having to make like rationing nappies, watering down baby formula so it stretches further or not being able to afford a winter coat. Too many families with young children are struggling to survive so we thank the Fusion21 Foundation for their amazing support. The maternity packs will provide a ray of light for families at a time when they really need our support.”
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