The Baby Bank has been awarded £3,000 funding from Abri for their ‘sleeping and playing safely’ project.
The Berkshire charity was set up, and run, by two Windsor mums and provides essentials to families in extreme need. The funding from Abri will support their sleeping and playing safely project, which focuses on providing pressure fit stair gates, school uniforms, and beds/mattresses to families unable to afford them.
Rebecca Mistry, Co-CEO and Co-Founder, said: “We have been working in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead (RBWM) and Slough for seven years providing families with the essential items they need. We receive a huge amount of preloved clothing and uniforms as well as preloved stair gates, but the supply doesn’t meet the demand. The stairgates have to be pressure fit so as not to damage walls. Stairgates are very sturdy and once the families don’t need them they often give them back to us to be thoroughly checked and cleaned before being regifted to another home. School uniform and mattresses however aren’t as easy to regift.
“The cost of school uniform can drive families into further debt, or the child goes to school with either incorrect or ill-fitting uniform. We are also trying to encourage people to swap more to prevent clothing going to land fill.
“The third element of our project is addressing ‘bed poverty’. We provided over 650 beds last year to local children, who were either sleeping on the floor, sofa, sharing a bed with siblings. A child that has interrupted sleep, suffers at school because they can’t pay attention due to tiredness. They are often ill because their immunity is low due to lack of sleep. It becomes a vicious circle as their learning is impacted, all because they are not sleeping in their own bed. We have supported many children with new mattresses, and we have been told that the change is almost instant in their behaviour, their attitude to learning, and their ability to play and be a child.”
The Community Fund is part of Abri’s commitment to empowering lives and creating thriving communities, making them better places to live. Abri is one of the south of England’s largest housing providers and awarded over £65,000 from its Community Fund to support local organisations and projects between April 2021-March 2022.
Applications are decided on by its customer panel – Thriving Communities – made up of customers and those living in its communities. Sarah O’Mara, a member of the Thriving Communities Panel, said: “Bed poverty is a big issue. Children not having a bed to sleep in affects their mental health due to lack of sleep. Young people’s ill mental health is on the rise and to have the right school uniform and equipment can help them. The Baby Bank is providing these essential items for families and their children.”
Other successful applications for Abri’s Community Fund include:
- £1,125 to The Cowshed, near Reading for Noahs Boxes – a kitchen essentials kit of 35+ items to support those going into their own accommodation.
- £2,957 to The Friendly Food Club in Bournemouth for their ‘meet, cook and eat’ cookery workshops.
- £3,000 to Level Up Gosport to support young people in Gosport learn employability skills through community volunteering.
Cita Jagot, Communities & Involvement Manager at Abri, said: “We believe the best ideas often come from the people who know and live in our communities. And we’re committed to supporting and investing in our communities. We’re proud of the difference our Community Fund makes, driving change, transforming our communities, providing opportunities, and supporting people during the rising cost of living. It’s what our Community Strategy and five-year £15m investment is all about – empowering communities, improving health and wellbeing, and providing employment opportunities.”
Abri’s Community Fund opens for applications four times a year, and organisations can apply for up to £3,000 to support a project in one of Abri’s communities. The next application window opens on 1 July and closes on 20 September.
You can find out more about The Baby Bank at https://www.thebabybank.org/.
Find out more at www.abri.co.uk.