It breaks my heart that some babies have nothing – you have to support Fabulous’ vital campaign, says Charlotte Hawkins
SHE’S best known for jostling with tricky politicians on Good Morning Britain, but today it’s a stubborn bit of mud on a pram tyre that’s getting under Charlotte Hawkins’ skin.
“It needs a bit more elbow grease!” The 48-year-old TV presenter jokes, while vigorously scrubbing away with a blue cloth. “I know the standards are high here so I don’t want to get told off.”
Charlotte has donned her pinny and spent a busy couple of hours cleaning, packing up children’s clothes and sorting toys at Stripey Stork, a baby bank in Reigate, Surrey, close to her home, for our Baby, Bank On Us campaign.
“I’ve found it really emotional coming here,” she says. “Having a child is such a wonderful thing and I know, from being a mother, how you want to buy them lovely things, decorate their room, make sure they have a safe place to sleep… it must be heartbreaking for those families who want to do that for their children but can’t for financial reasons.”
Her enthusiasm to help others came from her father Frank, a vicar who died of motor neurone disease a month before her daughter Ella-Rose was born in 2015, and she’s forthright in her belief everyone should do their bit.
“I saw my dad, day after day, doing what he could to help people in the local community as they needed it,” she says. “It was about the community pulling together, and that’s what you did, you helped each other.
READ MORE ON BABY BANKS
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 .
“You worry in a society where a lot of people are stuck on their phones, not necessarily looking out at the world. But we need to remember that we each have a role and responsibility to others. We need to engage and do what we can. We should keep asking ourselves, ‘Am I doing enough’?”
Growing up in Chichester, Charlotte says her own family wasn’t well off - “being a vicar isn’t a massively well paid job and my mum did nights as a care assistant” - but her parents protected her from any money worries.
“I’d have a wishlist for Christmas but I definitely wasn’t going to get everything on it!” she recalls. “I don’t look back and think I didn’t have a happy childhood because of that. I was very lucky.”
Tears come to her eyes as she chats with volunteers about the poverty some local families face. “Hearing about the mother who couldn’t leave the hospital because she had nothing, absolutely nothing, for her baby breaks my heart. Also, that this is happening in Surrey, shows how the cost of living crisis is touching so many people at the moment.”
Most read in Fabulous
Surrey, the UK’s second most affluent county, is mired in stereotypes of footballers living in giant country piles, loaded families with a garden full of ponies and mums whizzing about in their new sports cars.
While these assumptions may be true for many residents, they couldn’t be further from reality for many struggling families in the area as Nicola Dawes, the CEO and founder of Stripey Stork, and her team knows only too well.
“I think people will be surprised at the deprivation in Surrey,” says Nicola. “People don’t think it’s happening here but we’ve started to open people’s eyes and quietly change perceptions. People who didn’t need help before are starting to because of the cost-of-living crisis. Suddenly people aren’t working and they need help for the first time.”
Nicola, a former banker who launched Stripey Stork from her garage in 2013, says “being poor in an affluent area is even harder”. She adds: ”It might just be one or two families on a street but that’s even harder because it stands out. It’s more marked.”
Hearing about the mother who couldn’t leave the hospital because she had nothing for her baby breaks my heart
Charlotte Hawkins
Nicola, a mum-of-two, originally planned to help 40 local mums but on launch day ended up donating items to 100. The bank is now in a warehouse - a bustling hive of activity she jokes is “fuelled by cups of tea” - and she has a team of 14 part-time staff and 148 regular volunteers who come weekly.
Stripey Stork doesn’t have direct contact with families, instead it works with referral partners such as social workers and health professionals to help those in need. Unlike many baby banks, it caters for children up to the age of 16.
Nicola says: “We don’t meet the mums but we feel connected to them. When we get a package saying a six-year-old boy in a family with domestic violence likes Peppa Pig, we get invested in finding Peppa Pig pyjamas, books and toys we know will make him smile.”
Nicola and her team are “very strict about safety and quality standards” - something Charlotte has witnessed firsthand. Great care is taken into the packs the team sends out to 200 families a week.
Any clothing with camouflage is removed in case it is triggering for refugees, as well as items with slogans such as ‘I love daddy’ in case of family issues. Noisy toys are also given a great deal of consideration in case the child has sensory issues.
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.
“Not all mums like loud, noisy toys,” jokes Charlotte. “I Imagine they’re the first ones to be donated.”
Charlotte spends time packing a bundle of clothes for a young girl. It includes a mix of T-shirts, long-sleeve tops, leggings, dresses and cardigans. She finishes it by putting a ‘made by Charlotte’ sticker on the front so the recipient knows it has been made with care.
Nicola adds: “People should feel like they’re receiving a gift, not a handout. Everything is offered with kindness, with no judgement or expectation that it will be returned. A lot of families do donate things back to help others.”
While Charlotte sorts clothes, she chats to Hollie Rowson, 35, from Surrey, who was helped with a school uniform by Stripey Stork for her daughter when money became tight.
She is now on the bank’s advisory panel and helps them improve the service they provide for parents in need. She says people should never feel afraid to ask for help.
“I get how embarrassing it is to ask for help. It’s the shame,” she says. “But it’s a good thing, you can’t do everything yourself sometimes. It’s OK not to be OK. I know that now.”
We need to engage and do what we can. We should keep asking ourselves, ‘Am I doing enough?’
Charlotte Hawkins
Since the centre opened, Nicola says demand has increased but so has their capacity to help. “We responded to 10,000 requests last year but we’ve moved from doing it in my garage to a big warehouse.” She’s noticed referral partners now ask for more items and has noticed points of pressure, like school trips and birthdays.
“We’ve known families who have two children but only one pair of shoes between them. Undoubtedly, the requests have gone up. Health professionals say there are families they’ve worked with for years, maybe because their child has developmental issues, who now need financial support.”
Charlotte says: “It’s particularly hard for some families at the moment, one thing happens, the boiler breaks, and it piles on a huge financial pressure. This is why you have to get involved in this campaign. If you can ease the pressure for one family, bring joy to a child having new clothes, toys or books, it’s a special thing to do - and you must do it.”
Nicola adds “it’s an honour to help these families who trust us, we never take that for granted. We hear really difficult stories about people in difficult situations, but that is balanced with the care and kindness of the community. Ultimately, there’s nothing more satisfying than packing up a car, sending it to a family and knowing you are helping relieve some pressure off them.”
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Fabulous' Baby, Bank On Us campaign, in partnership with Save The Children, Little Village and more than 200 baby banks nationwide, has received the backing of The Princess of Wales, and a host of famous faces including Christine Lampard, Arlene Phillips, Leona Lewis, Aston Merrygold and Peter Andre.
The campaign has raised more than £70,000 so far and has been supported by brands including Tesco, Ocado and The Entertainer.
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