I’m working in partnership with local baby bank Little Village on a big Streatham donation drive. With the cost of living crisis hitting families in our area, they are currently in urgent need of clothes and kit for the families they support. We are planning to run a big donation session together on the morning of Saturday the 23rd of April at St Margaret’s Church (10am-12pm).

Little Village accepts and distributes donated clothes, toys and equipment for babies and children up to the age of five. They have grown to be one of the largest ‘baby banks’ in the UK, supporting over 17,000 children across every borough in London since they launched in 2016.  Families are referred via a network of over 1,800 professionals such as midwives, health visitors and social workers.

Since the beginning of 2020, they have responded to 919 requests for help for Lambeth families. This is unsurprising when more than four in ten children in our borough are growing up in poverty. Little Village are now running urgently low on many essential items, such as beds, buggies and clothes (especially for ages 3-5 years), for the high number of families that need support. Items they are very short of include:

• Clothing
• Moses baskets, cots and cot beds (they cannot take used mattresses)
• Prams and buggies
• Highchairs
• Blankets
• Bottles and new teats
• Weaning plates and cutlery
• New/unused toiletries for babies, children and mums

Little Village’s mantra is that each item is like a gift from one family to another. You can find full guidance over on their website.

If you’re able to bring something along to our Little Village Streatham Donation Drive, please head over to St Margaret’s on the 23rd April. And please note this is a low traffic neighbourhood, so drivers should enter and exit via the A23/Streatham High Road.