The team at Baby Bank Network Bristol is proud to announce a significant milestone – they have supported their 10,000^th family! Since its founding in 2015, by three local mothers determined to do something to relieve poverty in families with young children, they’ve worked tirelessly to redistribute pre-loved baby and children’s items to families in need across Bristol and the surrounding area. The organisation focuses on supporting families with children up to 5 years old, providing essential items such as safe sleep kits, toiletry packs, and pre-loved clothing.

"Each bundle represents more than just material goods – it's a message of hope and support for families facing extraordinary challenges. We're providing dignity and assurance that Bristol cares about its most vulnerable residents." said Becky Gilbert, CEO and alongside Eva Fernandes and Melissa Burger, one of the three founding Mum's of Baby Bank Network Bristol ( @BabyBankNetwork ).

Between 2015 and April 2024 the team has distributed over 411,000 items, partnering with over 440 individual referral partners to achieve this. The total value of items distributed, if purchased new, is estimated to amount to nearly £3 million.

This support is crucial, with there being an acute and growing need for help with the proportion of children in Bristol living in poverty increasing (rising from 17.9% in 2021-2022 to 21.8% in 2022-2023. One in five children (17,900) in Bristol live in low-income families. And referrals to their service continue to grow each year, and we support on average 40 families per month with essential items for their babies and children. During winter this increases to around 50-60 families each month. Between April 2023 and March 2024 Baby Bank Network Bristol redistributed over 82,500 items to 1,798 families, up 13% from 1,586 families in 2022-23. It now costs them on average £56 on average to provide a family with everything they need to welcome home their newborn.

Marking this milestone, whilst acknowledging the continued growth of demand for their support the team at Baby Bank Network Bristol are keen to thank everyone who has helped fund their work since 2015.

We have partnered with Baby Bank Network Bristol since their founding, and Becky Gilbert acknowledged the role of this relationship; "Baby Bank Network Bristol has been a member of Localgiving since 2015, the year we set-up the organisation.  As one of the first online fundraising platforms we used, it was easy to set-up and manage, and has helped us raise over £12,000 in that time through fundraisers and regular gifts from our supporters.  We have also been lucky enough to receive £1,500 via the Magic Little Grants in recent years.  We would like to say a big thank you to Localgiving for all their support over the last 9 years." 

Luke Upton, Head of Communications at Localgiving added; “All the team here are very proud of our relationship with the team at Baby Bank Network Bristol and to see how their impact has grown has been fantastic. We know how essential their assistance is to families across the city but sadly, we also know that the need for their help is greater than ever, so urge everyone to help if they can. Even a little can make a big difference!"

Donate through their Localgiving page here and read their impact report here.