Little Village

Thank you SO much to everyone at Pure Design Group 💕 We’re so excited to cheer you on!

'Hiya! I'm Deborah Hopper, I have been at Little Village for 8 months and I'm the Corporate Partnerships Manager. I started as a volunteer sorting and quality checking donations in my spare time and then took on our family liason volunteer role, phoning the families we support to see what they need. After my second maternity leave I decided I needed a change and my role came up at Little Village and I was thrilled to start as a permanent staff member! I have never worked anywhere so filled with love and kindness and meeting the families we support and seeing the impact Little Village makes on their lives is a daily motivator for me to be the best I can be at my job. Meeting a Mum who was unable to get her baby to doctors appointments because she did not have a sling or buggy really highlighted to me how hard it is to have a child if you don't have these essential items. Most of us don't even need to think about buying essentials for our kids, but there are parents in London right now that are forced to ration nappies, water down formula, or even keep their children inside because they don't have shoes or a coat that fits. We are trying to do all we can, but one in three children in London live in poverty and more needs to be done to help them. Outside of work I'm a real foodie so I love eating my way around London!" #MeetTheTeam #BabyBanks #ChildPoverty

Vulnerable London babies will now be warmly wrapped and ready for night-time stories thanks to the very generous donation of essential sleep items by Love to Dream™ team. We're dino-mite-ly grateful for the cozy swaddles and snug sleeping bags which will provide much-needed comfort and safety during cold months. You might even say it's a roar-some donation 😉 A thousand thank yous! ⭐ (Question for you - how many dinosaur puns are too many? 1, 2, 47, no such thing? Vote below...)

🎉 Happy 1st Anniversary to our Regents Place hub! 🎉 From our dedicated volunteers to our generous donors, every single contribution has made such a difference in the lives of nearly 2,500 families.    Though we’ve been based in Camden for much longer, we can’t believe our dedicated hub has been open for an entire year already - we absolutely couldn't have done it without the incredible support of the Camden community! 📷: taken in an unusually quiet moment before the doors opened   #BabyBank #Camden #CommunityStrong

"Ciao! I, Daniela Spinello, am the Volunteer Recruitment Manager and I have been at Little Village since January 2023. I started as a volunteer at our Brent Baby Bank, then I fell in love with the ethos and values and team at Little Village and I got a job as Volunteer Recruitment Coordinator. Last October, when my manager left, I applied for her role and I am really happy with my new position! My goal is to spread the word about Little Village and attract as many amazing volunteers as possible all-around London. I am happy to work with Universities, Colleges, Volunteer Centres, other charities, Job Centre and more. Little Village could not exist without the help of all our volunteers and it is an inspiration to be working with them every day! My favourite moment at Little Village is when I had the realisation that LV not only helps families with little children, but also hundreds of other people that cross path with us. Young people can find a welcoming place to complete their Duke of Edinburgh, or their work experiences; college students can volunteer with us for a few months for their placement; those who suffer with anxiety or lack of confidence because they have been out of work for a while can meet new people and feel some warmth around them a few hours a week; refugees or asylum-seekers can find a place to go outside of their accommodation, where they are not judged and they are treated equally to everyone else. And the list could go on and on.  Every person who gets in contact with LV is filled with love and is touched by something bigger than them, and I am really proud of being a part of it. My love for children is what keeps me passionate about supporting our mission. I haven’t been lucky enough to have children myself, but I can imagine the struggles that many families go through to make sure their little ones have enough. All children should have the right to have warm clothes, a place to sleep, comfy shoes and interesting toys and books to help them grow. I am deeply sad that this is not the reality for many children in London, and I want to help their families as much as possible. Outside of LV, I love everything around travel and travel-planning! My free time is spent reading, watching and dreaming about places. I love my big Excel spreadsheets filled with days, times, locations, and my maps full of pins of things to see and restaurants to try! Natural beauties, architectural wonders, warm people and delicious food… what could be better?!" #MeetTheTeam #BabyBanks #ChildPoverty

Sustainability is one of our guiding principles. Giving gently loved items a second life with families in need creates a beautiful cycle of giving. This not only ensures essential items like cot beds, clothing and equipment reach those who need them most, but also minimizes our impact on the planet by reducing the need for new production. We are proud to be members of the Reuse Network, the UK’s only membership body dedicated to charitable and voluntary reuse organisations. Together members are reducing poverty, tackling waste, and offering a brighter and better future for the most isolated individuals in our society. Every item reused - including cots and cot beds is a win-win – a victory for our children and for the health of our planet. Speaking of which, donating a safe sleeping place can be life-changing! Be the reason someone has a safe and comfy place to rest their head. We are short on cots, cribs, cot beds, and moses baskets; find out how to donate these essential items at https://lnkd.in/gEP3GkTf

We're in urgent need of Moses baskets to help local families give their little ones the sweetest dreams! A safe and cosy sleeping place is so important for babies to thrive, and your pre-loved Moses basket could make all the difference. If you have a Moses basket in good condition that you'd like to donate, we'd be incredibly grateful! You can drop it off at any of our hubs – they're all open as usual – or if it's a larger item, we can arrange a collection. (Just a little note: we can only accept brand new mattresses in their original packaging). To find out all the details about when, where, and how to donate, please visit our website: https://lnkd.in/gWtZVJYC Don't have a Moses basket to donate? You can still help! For £30, you can donate a brand new one through Common Good: https://lnkd.in/gwaCpcmj Please share this message with everyone you know – let's work together to give every baby a peaceful night's sleep!

Calling all parents: What is your favourite half term activity? Drop a comment below, we LOVE to get new ideas! Do you take things easy or are do you planning for an incredibly busy few days - either way, if you're having a clear out this half term, drop by one of our hubs with your pre-loved clothing and help us to support children in London with the things that they need. #Parents #ParentsofLinkedIn #BabyBanks

⚠️ Nearly 1 in 10 of the families supported by Little Village are resorting to watering down formula to make each box last longer. 1 in 10.   No parent should have to worry about whether they can feed their baby - and no baby should be at risk of going hungry. It’s great the CMA (Competition and Markets Authority) have been looking at this - but we want prices to come down and our Government has the opportunity to make a real difference for families facing hardship. We urge them to consider the following:   🍼 Increase the value of Healthy Start vouchers so that they at least match the cost of formula   🍼 Provide clear guidance that allows baby banks and food banks to safely supply formula to struggling families.   🍼 Put more money in families’ pockets: lift the 2-child limit & benefit cap in the Child Poverty Strategy they’re currently creating This is fundamentally about ensuring parents have the resources to provide for their children. No-one wants to rely on handouts or to be panicked about how they’re going to feed their baby. 👶

Missed out on a place today in the Royal Parks Half - London? Run and fundraise for Little Village! This stunning half marathon on the 12th October takes in some of London’s world-famous landmarks, on closed roads and within four of London's eight Royal Parks - Hyde Park, The Green Park, St James's Park and Kensington Gardens. And as part of our village, you'll get a well-versed cheer squad mid-track to buoy your spirits, complete with four-pawed support! 🐾 Drop us an email with your interest: challenge@littlevillagehq.org #LittleVillage #HalfMarathon #RoyalParksHalfMarathon