The Princess of Wales visits Sebby's Corner Baby Bank

During her visit to the centre, The Princess of Wales heard about the crucial work baby banks do across the UK to get essential items to families, including clothing, nappies, toiletries and baby equipment.

The Princess also met a mother who has been directly supported by Sebby's Corner through its referral system, before helping volunteers and Shaping US Champion, Giovanna Fletcher, in putting the final touches to Sebby's annual Christmas Grotto. The Christmas Grotto provides a space where families who are struggling have the chance to choose gifts for their children.

Finally, The Princess joined a conversation with representatives from Baby Banks across the UK to discuss the increasing demand on their services. The representatives were from the newly formed Baby Bank Alliance which is led by Save the Children, Little Village, Purposeful Ventures and Baby Bank Network Bristol. Its purpose is to bring baby banks together as one voice and boost the impact of the work they are doing to support families across the country.

Sebby’s Corner was formed in January 2021 and provides items to families in need across Barnet, Hertfordshire and London. Families are referred by a large network of referral partners which includes professionals such as midwives, health visitors and teachers. Since opening, the charity has supported over 5,000 families and has seen year on year increase in referrals.

There are more than 200 baby banks around the country, all of which are currently seeing rising demand for their services. The visit comes as The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood published an “Issues Index”, which found that a third of the general public cite financial pressures as the biggest issue facing parents and carers in 2023. 

As highlighted in the Shaping Us campaign which The Princess launched in January, our relationships, experiences, and surroundings in our earliest years lay the foundations that shape the rest of our lives. Organisations like Baby Banks can help relieve some of the stresses and strains they face and in turn give parents and carers the capacity to provide the nurturing care which is so important to babies and very young children. Supporting parents and carers, who are doing their best to provide for their families in incredibly challenging circumstances, is essential and can have a life-changing impact.

Visit centreforearlychildhood.org to find out more information on how to support your local Baby Bank