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NIGHT TERROR

I’d be awake all night worrying about money – I couldn’t see a way out, but the support of the baby bank saved me

ELLIE Jones had every intention of going back to her job as a mental health support worker after her daughter, Henrietta, was born.

But while on maternity leave, Ellie, 29, and her wife Alice, 26, worked out that forking out on childcare would actually leave them out of pocket, so it made more sense for one of them to stay at home.

Ellie Jones has opened up about the sleepless nights she's endured worrying about money
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Ellie Jones has opened up about the sleepless nights she's endured worrying about moneyCredit: Ellie Jones
Ellie and her wife eventually turned to the baby bank
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Ellie and her wife eventually turned to the baby bankCredit: Ellie Jones

It meant their joint income almost halved overnight, and they struggled to afford everyday essentials with the cost of living increases and bills rising.

Thankfully, Ellie, from Coventry, found support at a nearby baby bank called .

When she contacted them, they provided her with nappies, wipes and Sudocrem, as well as clothes for 16-month-old Henrietta - and they brought the items to Ellie’s home, as she wasn’t able to afford the bus fare to collect them.

It comes as exclusive research of 2,000 mums for Fabulous’ Bank On Us campaign in partnership with Save The Children and Little Village in support of UK baby banks, found some 15% have visited a baby bank, while 68% say the cost of living crisis has affected their mental health.

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Ellie said: “I was working full time for a charity until Henrietta was born in December 2021, and I thought I’d go back to work at least part-time after going on maternity leave.

We’ve got a house and we’re able to get the essentials, we’re not poverty stricken or on the streets

Ellie Jones

“But when Alice, who works full time as a site manager, and I started to look at nursery costs in February 2022, it was coming in at around £1,400 a month for three or four days a week. I only earned £100 a month more than that, so that would leave me with £100 for food and travel.

“It wasn’t financially worthwhile to go back to work, but I was happy to stay at home with Henrietta. Although I was getting statutory maternity pay and financially we were really struggling. It got to the point that I was really worried about money all the time, and it was affecting my mental health.”

How YOU can support Fabulous' Baby, Bank On Us campaign

- Give money by donating or by scanning the QR code. 

- Give clothing, toys and essentials to a baby bank, wherever you are in the UK. 

- Give your time volunteering. To find your nearest baby bank, visit .

Ellie said she visited local charity shops and managed to get a few things really cheaply when Henrietta was six months old. But they still needed further support.

, who live in a two-bedroom private house, also started to use a social supermarket, which sells discounted food for those on a lower income.

Ellie then saw a post on her local council website saying those who were struggling with the cost of living crisis should contact them. She called them and they referred her to the baby bank.

“I felt really embarrassed, like this isn’t for me. We’ve got a house and we’re able to get the essentials, we’re not poverty stricken or on the streets. We used to donate to food banks, and I felt as though I shouldn’t be taking advantage of it,” she said.

I was feeling really desperate and stressed about money and costs all the time, and I didn’t know how to fix it

Ellie Jones

“But after speaking to friends, they said it’s there for everyone and to use it and give back when we were in a position to.

“We live really simply and we don’t go out and do stuff, if we do it’s a free event.

“So I called the baby bank, and they were so kind and helpful.

What are baby banks?

- Baby banks provide essential items for babies and young children whose parents are living in poverty – including nappies, wipes, clothing, bedding, Moses baskets, cots, blankets, toys and books.
- There are over 200 baby banks in the UK, and they run out of shops, community centres, warehouse units and even people’s living rooms and garages.
- Last year 4.2 million children in the UK were living in poverty and 800,000 children lived in a household that used a food or baby bank.

“As well as bringing round things like nappies, wipes and Sudocrem, they also brought a couple of snowsuits in sizes bigger than Henrietta was at the time, which was really helpful.”

Ellie said without this support, it may have meant the couple would have been forced to go without food to make sure Henrietta was provided for.

She said it really affected her mental health, and she became anxious, worrying how they would make ends meet.

“I was feeling really desperate and stressed about money and costs all the time, and I didn’t know how to fix it. I couldn’t see a way of it getting any better.

We’ve also relied on friends and family who would buy things like nappies for us

Ellie Jones

“I would be awake all night worrying about our finances. I looked at ways to get money quickly, including selling my own breast milk, but that wasn’t worth anything! We sold Henrietta’s old clothes and toys and other things we didn’t want on MarketPlace just to get a bit of extra cash.

“I’m so glad the support was there. I would say to other women to not feel embarrassed, and to get help when they need it.

“We’ve also relied on friends and family who would buy things like nappies for us. But now, we’re able to manage by ourselves. We still visit the social supermarket, but I don’t get anything from the baby bank now, although I know I can go back whenever I need to.

“I will give back when we’re in a position to, so others can benefit as we have. And I plan to go back to work when Henrietta qualifies for free childcare when she’s three years old.”

Belle Edgar-McCab, from Coventry, 44, started Baby Godiva baby bank after overhearing a conversation four years ago during which a new mum couldn’t afford nappies for her baby.

In that time, she said demand for the baby bank, to which parents need to be referred to by a welfare professional, or via self-assessment, has increased “exponentially”.

They’re able to deliver items such as pushchairs, beds, feeding equipment such as bottles and sterilisers, high chairs, stair gates and clothing. All items come from donations or grant raising.

“Help is always there if you reach for it. Women have been supporting women with raising babies since they were handing infant sized animal skins from cave to cave. We've always done it, it’s the way that women work,” Belle said.

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“And the loss of community means that you don't have people turning up on your doorstep with the stuff that they have used for their children any longer because you don't know who your neighbours are.

“However, if you need help, and you don't have that community around you, it is always there if you reach out to the dedicated baby banks or children's charities because they're all run by people just like me, who are there specifically to help women or families that are in need.”

She said the organisation has totally changed her family's life
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She said the organisation has totally changed her family's lifeCredit: Ellie Jones

BABY BANK LOCATIONS

BELOW is a selection of baby banks by region. See the web address at the end of the page to find contact details for all the country’s baby banks

  • North West

Baby Basics Bolton & Bury, West Lancashire

Baby Basics Carlisle, Cumbria 

Baby Basics South Lakes, Cumbria 

Baby Basics, Cleator Moor,  West Cumbria

Trafford Little Bundles, Lancashire

TippyToes BabyBank Preston, Lancashire

Salford Baby Bank, Lancashire

Snowdrop Doula CIC Burnley, Lancashire

Cascade Baby Bundles, Audenshaw, Cheshire

The Baby Room at Spinners, Leigh, Lancashire

The Healthy Gems Baby Bank, Oldham, Lancashire

NCT Mid Cheshire

NCT Preston Baby Bundles, Lancashire

KidsBank Chester, Cheshire

Motherwell Pass It On Baby Bank, Winsford, Cheshire

Hyndburn Baby Bank, Accrington, Lancashire

  • North East

Growbaby Newcastle, Tyne & Wear 

Love, Amelia, Sunderland, Tyne & Wear

Birth Bath and Beyond, Scarborough, North Yorkshire

Clothe and Feed South Shields, Tyne & Wear

Clothe and Feed Sunderland, Tyne & Wear 

Rosie's Corner, Hexham, Northumberland 

Stockton Baby Bank, County Durham

Darlington Baby Bank, County Durham

Baby Basics Darlington

Growbaby Hull, Yorkshire

Little Acorns Baby Bank Durham, County Durham

Hartlepool Baby Bank, County Durham 

  • North

Growbaby Teeside, Thornaby, Stockton-on-Tees

Baby Basics Leeds, West Yorkshire

Baby Basics Doncaster, South Yorkshire

Leeds Baby Bank, West Yorkshire

Baby Basics Sheffield, South Yorkshire

Birth Bath and Beyond Scarborough, North Yorkshire

Bradford Baby Bank, West Yorkshire

POPI Baby Bank Keighley, West Yorkshire

Rainbow Baby Bank Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire

Stepping Stones Baby Bank Wakefield, West Yorkshire

Calderdale Lighthouse, West Yorkshire

Tiny Hands Baby Bank Pontefract, West Yorkshire

Growbaby York, North Yorkshire

  • South West

Ashley's Birthday Bank, Christchurch, Dorset

Baby Bank Network Bristol

Baby Basics Gloucester, Gloucestershire

Baby Basics Cornwall

Baby Basics Plymouth

Brighter Bristol Storehouse, Bristol

Baby Basics South, Ilminster, Somerset

Growbaby Tiverton, Devon

Children's Storehouse Plymouth, Devon

Uplift Tiverton, Devon

Exeter Baby Bank Network, Devon

Little Lighthouse Baby Bank Wythenshawe, Manchester

Baby Bundles Wiltshire

The Nest Project, Bath, Somerset

Gloucestershire Bundles, Gloucester

Open Door Exmouth, Devon

Forest of Dean Baby Bank, Gloucestershire

Small Stuff Baby Bank, Radstock, Somerset

Stroud District Kid's Stuff, Gloucestershire 

Teignmouth Baby Bank, Devon

Ten Little Toes Baby Bank, Cowfold, West Sussex

Growbaby Swindon, Wiltshire

  • South East

Baby Bank & Beyond (South Wealden) CIC (Hellingly), East Sussex

Baby Bank Herts, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire

Sebby's Corner Borehamwood, Hertfordshire

Stevenage Babyshed, Hertfordshire

Baby Basics Billericay, Essex

Growbaby Whitstable, Kent

Growbaby Aylesbury, Bucks

Baby Basics Bromley, Kent

Best Start Baby Bank, Eastbourne, Sussex

Basildon Borough Baby Bank, Essex

Growbaby Maidstone, Kent 

Growbaby Rayleigh, Essex

Baby Basics Chelmsford, Essex

Growbaby St Albans, Herts

Growbaby Hemel Hempstead, Herts

Precious Bundles Colchester, Essex

Fighting Chance Baby Bank, Petworth, West Sussex

Baby2Baby, East Sussex

Baby Basics Brighton

Baby Basics Dover & Deal, Kent

Baby Basics Englefield Green, Surrey

Baby Basics Folkestone, Kent

Baby Basics Willvern, Essex

First Days Reading, Berkshire

Baby Basics Hastings and Rother, East Sussex

Baby Basics, Grays, Kent

Baby Basics Shoreham, West Sussex

NCT Winchester Baby Bundles, Hampshire

NCT Woking Baby Bundles, Surrey

Pelican Parcels Brighton and Hove, Sussex

Baby Stuff Braintree, Essex

Tots 2 Teens Colchester baby bank, Essex

Stripey Stork, Reigate, Surrey

Sunshine Baby Bank Southend, Essex

The Baby Bank HQ Havering, Essex

The Baby Bank HQ Thurrock, Essex

Community Wardrobe Chelmsford, Essex

The Baby Bank Windsor, Berkshire

Growbaby Storehouse Ashford, Kent

Moses Basket Brentwood, Essex,

Growbaby Chelmsford, Essex

NCT Little Bundles Baby Bank Chichester & Arun, West Sussex

NCT Baby Bundles Sevenoaks and Tonbridge, Kent

Mama to Mama, Margate, Kent

Home-Start West Berkshire Baby Bank, Newbury, Berkshire

Growbaby, Wokingham, Berkshire

The Baby Bank HQ Barking, Dagenham and Redbridge, Essex

  • South

Baby Basics Portsmouth, Hampshire

Baby Basics Guildford

Baby Branch Southampton, Hampshire

Baby Necessities Southampton, Hampshire

Portsmouth Baby Bank, Hampshire

  • Channel Islands

Baby Basics Jersey

  • London

214 SPACE Baby Bank Hub Brent

214 SPACE Baby Bank Hub Hammersmith & Fulham

214 SPACE Baby Bank Hub Kensington & Chelsea

Growbaby Lighthouse, Sutton, Greater London 

Growbaby, Newham

Growbaby, Merton

Bromley Brighter Beginnings

Growbaby Purley

Baby Basics, Barnet

Cariad Baby Bank, Harrow

Growbaby Kingston upon Thames

Choices Boutique Islington

Cornerstone Baby Bank Leyton

Growbaby Wandsworth

Baby Basics Sunbury

Growbaby Enfield

Ealing Salvation Army Baby Bank

The Small Project South London

Tiny Toes, Tiny Feet, Northwood

Camberwell Baby Bank

Orchard Baby Bank, Woodford

Peabody Toddlers Clothes Bank, Ilford

Pram Depot Wood Green

Little Village (London-wide)

Mammakind Baby Bank, Greenwich

MerryGoRound Islington

Growbaby Hoxton

NCT Redbridge Baby Bundles

Hackney Children & Baby Bank

Ilford Salvation Army Baby Bank

Mama2Mama Woolwich

Lloyd Park Children's Charity Baby Bank Walthamstow

The Extra Mile, Hampton, Richmond Upon Thames.

  • Midlands

Brierley Hill Baby Bank, Dudley, West Mids

Baskets of Joy Leicester

Growbaby Leicester

Alice Charity, Newcastle under Lyme, Staffordshire

Growbaby Northampton

The Arches, Nottingham 

High Peak Baby Bank, Buxton, Derbyshire

Growbaby, Nuneaton, Warwickshire

Growbaby Bedworth, Warwickshire

Bicester Baby Bank, Oxfordshire

Elayos Baby Bank Birmingham

Baby Basics Wolverhampton

Growbaby Birmingham St Michaels Church

Baby Aid Birmingham

Baby Basics Warwick

Baby Godiva Coventry

Growkids Coventry

Baby Basics Chesterfield, Derbyshire

Baby Basics Long Eaton, Notts

Baby Basics Leicester

Baby Basics Northampton

Baby Basics Hinckley, Leicestershire

Growbaby Birmingham Vineyard City Centre Site

Tots in Need Walsall, West Mids

Spark Baby & Children's Bank Staffordshire

Staffordshire Baby Bank, Stafford, Staffs

Telford and Wrekin Baby and Toddler bank, Shropshire

Clothe and Feed Wallsend, Herefordshire

Little Stars Shropshire

Karis Baby Bank Central Birmingham

NCT Malvern Hills Baby Bundles, Worcs

Little Cherub's Baby Bank High Peak, Derbyshire

Growbaby Worcester

  • Wales

Baby Basics Dryffryn Clwyd Denbigh

Baby Basics Vale of Glamorgan

Baby Basics Newtown

Baby Basics Swansea

Baby Basics Port Talbot

Baby Basics Wrexham

Cwtch Baby Bank Cardiff

Baby Basics Penrhiwceiber

Cariad a Cwtch Baby Bank Llandrindod Wells

Growbaby Cardiff

Pembrokeshire Baby Bank

Splice Baby Bank Bridgend

Bundles Baby Clothing and Birth Support, Newport

Bethel Baby Bank Port Talbot

NCT Cardiff Baby Bundles

Ely Baby Bank

Feed Newport Baby Bank

  • Scotland

Bairn Necessities, Glasgow

AberNecessities, Aberdeen

Growbaby Fife

Baby Bank Scotland, Hamilton

Bairnecessities Aberdeenshire

Bear Necessities Airdrie

Togs for Tots Dundee

Glasgow Baby Food Bank

GRA Baby Bank Aberdeenshire

Nelly Boxes East Renfrewshire Baby Bank

No 1 Glasgow Baby & Family Support Service

Tiny Treasures Baby Bank Oban

Button and Bows Baby Bank Perth

Cumbernauld & Kilsyth Care

Misty Glen Baby Bank Fort William

Dingwall Primary Baby Bank

Moray Baby Bank

Monklands Baby and Family Clothing Aid

  • East

Abi's Footprints, Sudbury, Suffolk

Baby Bank Norfolk

Baby Basics Lowestoft, Suffolk

Baby Basics West Norfolk

West Marsh Baby Bank, Lincolnshire

Suffolk Baby Bank, Bury Saint Edmunds 

Baby's Basket, Lincoln, Lincolnshire

Growbaby Thetford, Norfolk

Growkids Norwich, Norfolk

Fenland Family and Baby Bank, Cambridgeshire

GrowKids Cambridge, Cambridgeshire

Little Family Baby Bank, Sutton On Sea, Lincolnshire

Little Treasures Baby Bank, Horncastle, East Lincolnshire

Little Bundles, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire

  • Northern Ireland

Baby Basics Antrim & Newtonabbey

Baby Basics Ballymena

Baby Basics Belfast

Bump2Baby NI (Mid-Ulster Baby Bank)

Baby Basics Banbridge

Baby Basics Causeway

Baby Basics Magherafelt

Baby Basics Mullavilly

Growbaby Enniskillen

Carrickfergus Baby Bank

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