Robert Zakar gives back to community
I Run A Baby Bank, We've Met Kids Who Don't Know What A Birthday Is – Their Parents Can't Afford For Them To Know
THERE are children in the oil capital of Europe who are so poor they don't know what a birthday is.
Their parents are so hard-up they can't afford any kind of celebration so have never told them when it is.
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Kids in Aberdeen don't know what a birthday is
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Vicky said parents are really strugglingIt's only when they start school and hear about their classmates celebrating their big days that they realise what they're missing.
Incredibly, this is the heartbreaking reality for more than one family in supposedly affluent Aberdeen.
The harsh truth brought staff at the city's vital baby bank AberNecessities to tears and made them determined to do something about it.
Communications manager Vicky Hutcheson said: "Some kids don't know their birthday. Their parents have never told them. They thought it was best not to tell them.
"They thought it was better to keep it a secret rather than struggling to do anything on the day.
"So they've never received a birthday card or a present their whole lives."
Founder Danielle Flecher-Horn was so moved by this incredible revelation she vowed to give the kids a birthday for the first time.
Now she provides packs to poverty-hit households which include a card, candles and decorations for the house.
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They also provide a brand new present and wrapping paper so the family can package it up.
Vicky added: "It's a big focus for us now. We even give the family food so they can have a birthday tea. They get pizza, hot dogs and fizzy drinks."
The charity is one of a network of more than 200 being backed by The Sun's Fabulous campaign Baby, Bank On Us - in partnership with Save The Children and Little Village.
The drive is highlighting their amazing work and asking readers to dig deep to help them with money, supplies or time.
More than one in five kids in oil-rich Aberdeen are forced to live in poverty in 2023.
Teacher Danielle, 36, set up the lifeline charity - which is one of more than 200 of its kind being highlighted in the appeal - four years ago because she saw for herself how dire the situation is.
Youngsters were missing class because their parents couldn't afford shoes or underwear, or to wash their school uniform.
She started offering mums basic items, like milk and nappies, from her dad's garage.
Danielle said: "These were really simple things that I knew we could change.
"At that time there was nowhere else to go for those items. Then I became a mum myself and started to think about things a bit more.
"There was a need for the basics and there was no intention to do anything more than that. But things escalated."
Demand surged as word got around and more people wanted to get onboard and help.
Danielle was forced to find bigger premises and the organisation is now seen as an essential lifeline.
Her team of 60 volunteers and 16 staff now help up to 250 children a month, although that surged to 250 a week last Christmas.
They help mums out from conception right through to when their child turns 18.
The charity hands out maternity clothes, moses baskets, children's clothes, food packs, toys and beds and cots.
They go out of their way to ensure kids aren't left out so provide football kits and even designer trainers.
Danielle runs the charity as well as juggling the care of her four kids, aged from five months to seven, and still teaches one day a week.
She said: "It's not a sideline for me anymore. The demand went up astronomically.
"I wasn't surprised at the demand. But I was surprised how quickly the demand came to our door.
"I was not surprised but quite happy to see how the community got on board and wanted to make a difference."
The charity saw a 900 percent increase in requests for help when Covid hit. And the cost-of-living crisis has meant demand for their services has stayed at a record high.
AberNecessities survives through donations from members of the public, who can donate goods or buy items through an Amazon wishlist. Oil companies also make donations or hold fundraisers.
The charity sees itself as a buffer that's there to help families at their worst moments and give them a chance to move on.
But as the cost of living bites they are seeing more and more repeat requests for help.
And while Danielle is desperate to help she confessed that she will be happiest when no one needs her or the charity anymore.
She said: "It's not right that we exist. We shouldn't have to exist,
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"I'd be delighted if tomorrow someone said to me every child and family are living comfortably and their needs are being met.
"I'd be delighted to close the door and tell everyone they're sacked. Sadly, I can't see that happening any time soon."
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Founder Danielle Flecher-Horn says the charity shouldn't have to existI'm A Baby Bank Worker – Donations Plummeted After The Pandemic But The Need Has Never Been Greater, We Need YOUR Help
THERE isn't enough help to go around after the cost-of-living crisis left an unfathomable amount of parents in a dire situation.
That's the view of baby bank worker Stacey Brayshaw.
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Gloucestershire Bundles is urging for more donations from the publicCredit: Supplied
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Stacey and the team provide anything from toiletries to prams for expectant mumsCredit: SuppliedThe 47-year-old says donations of second-hand items poured in before the Covid-19 pandemic - but intake at Gloucestershire Bundles has hugely plummeted over the last three years.
"We're not seeing donations come in like they used to years ago," she tells Fabulous for our Baby, Bank On Us campaign, in partnership with Save The Children and Little Village in support of UK baby banks.
"We wouldn't be able to move in the unit, but we held a donation evening recently and just couldn't get the same amount of stuff.
"Each request comes in and seems to be more heartbreaking than the last."
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The mum-of-two warned that Britain's refugee crisis means "a lot of babies are being born in hotel rooms at the moment" to mums with only the clothes on their backs.
Gloucestershire Bundles is in need of a spectrum of donations, from toiletries and clothes all the way to prams and sterilisers.
Stacey noted a spike in expectant mums not realising short they are on parenting essentials until the very last minute.
"We're seeing more and more new mums saying they can manage but suddenly realising they need help at the last minute," Stacey said. "People struggle to ask for help. Where do you go for help when you've got nobody to turn to?"
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She added that teen mums have been particularly hit by the cost-of-living crisis, fuelled by Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
How YOU can support Fabulous' Baby, Bank On Us campaign
- Give money by donating here 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 Littlevillagehq.Org/uk-baby-banks.
The situation is so dire that the baby bank is considering making their bundles smaller so that it can provide for more families.
Their bundles include toiletries, nappies, clothes, wipes, blankets, toys and books, but can be tailored depending on the age.
The baby bank provides bundles for any children aged newborn up to 16-years-old.
When Gloucestershire Bundles, in Quedgeley, Gloucester, first started 14 years ago, it was based in chair Dawn Dolphin's living room and mainly handed out toiletries.
After four years, it became a registered charity and moved to an office building to supply clothes, furniture, nappies and more.
That office is where Stacey found herself volunteering a few times a week because she "wanted to give something back".
At the time, she was working nights on the door in a local pub - a job she did for 18 years before becoming a Gloucestershire Bundles employee three years ago.
Around that time, donations were so overwhelming that the charity moved to its current unit to keep up with demands and storage needs.
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.
But the last three years have been hard on the baby bank which is calling for more donations.
Stacey fears that due to the cost-of-living crisis, people have less to donate, and that which they do have to donate they may sell for extra money to stay afloat.
Mums in need ask for single beds "on a daily basis", she added.
Stacey has heard of children sleeping in drawers and on the floor as hard-hit mums cannot afford to buy so much as a Moses basket.
"The need is becoming so great," she said. "There's not enough hours in the day."
Stacey was drawn to baby bank work due to the times she struggled in the past as a mum-of-two with a husband who was out of work due to a disability.
"Your circumstances can just change overnight," she said. "When me and my husband decided to have children, we both thought we'd always be working.
"We never expected to be on benefits, and it's really hard to navigate the benefit system.
"That's why I don't judge anyone and volunteer, I want to give back.
"You never know how your situation might change and where you need to go for help. Nobody ever expects that they'll have to ask for nappies."
Stacey's favourite part about volunteering at Gloucestershire Bundles is the breadth of help they provide - from furnishing an expectant mum's flat to giving a new coat to a young child who ripped theirs at school.
The baby bank works exclusively on a referral basis through healthcare professionals and social services.
The small team has around six people volunteering on an average day but is always looking for more volunteers.
Stacey urged people to remember that those struggling and relying on baby banks are in your community - and they need whatever help you can offer, be it donations, fundraising, volunteering or money.
"It's on everyone's door step and this is why I think Fabulous' Baby, Bank On Us campaign is so important," she says.
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"It opens people's eyes. It could be the person living next door to you. Nobody knows what's going on behind closed doors.
"We're urging people to donate whatever they can to their local baby bank. You never know what you have lying unused in your attic that might change someone else's life."
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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
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
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
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
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
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
Baby Basics Portsmouth, Hampshire
Baby Basics Guildford
Baby Branch Southampton, Hampshire
Baby Necessities Southampton, Hampshire
Portsmouth Baby Bank, Hampshire
Baby Basics Jersey
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.
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
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
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
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
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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