An Oxfordshire charity has received a £1,500 donation from Barratt Homes as part of its Community Fund scheme.
The Bicester Baby Bank was set up in 2018 to provide practical relief for families with young children across Oxfordshire and now also works in Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire.
The work of Bicester Baby Bank ensures that no child in the local community is placed in a vulnerable position relative to food, essential hygiene products and items for wellbeing such as clothing, cots and pushchairs.
The donation from Barratt Homes has been dedicated to ensuring the continued supply of consumables such as wipes, formula milk, breast pads and other toiletries. Supporting over 300 families a year, community feedback has proved Bicester Baby Bank is an integral part of the community.
Primarily receiving donations of goods, equipment and clothing from the local area, fundraising proved difficult during the pandemic, and access to services and support were limited for local families. To combat the difficulty the charity arranged a self-referral service which offered families the choice to refer themselves to the Baby Bank as opposed to waiting for a referral from an alternative service.
Sophie Thomson, a Trustee a Bicester Baby Bank, said “Our work is essential to families in the local area. The relief we provide in the form of equipment and consumables ensures the wellbeing of pregnant women and children up to the age of 12.”
“We provide large bundles of clothing and bedding for all age groups between 0 and 12 years and hospital bag items for vulnerable pregnant women.
“We also provide school uniform for children and run our annual Christmas appeal to donate small gifts and pyjamas in Christmas bags to local children.”
Tanya Silk, Sales Director at Barratt Homes West Midlands, said: “When we heard about the incredible work that Bicester Baby Bank does for its community and their families, we were inspired by its commitment to assisting people and knew we wanted to provide support.
“Our Community Fund scheme allows us to help organisations such as this in the areas close to our developments and it is vital that we work closely with local people to see how we can best help them.”
