Charity overrun with baby gift items grateful

Volunteers help sort the items that are donated so they can be handed out at a pre-arranged slot

A baby bank that hands out bundles of items said it had paused receiving donations of toys and clothes after being "overwhelmed and inundated" with kind gifts.

Bedford charity Faces, which supports children and families, said its bank currently helped about 1,200 families a year.

It believed some items were "over offered" because people were having a pre-Christmas clear-out.

Jennie Bayliss, its chair of trustees and baby bank lead, praised the generosity of the people of Bedford, and said a lot of the gifted items had come from families who it had helped in the past and wanted to give back.

The baby bank is open three times a week delivers and collects items every day

The bank was started two years ago and runs three times a week, by appointment only, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, for any family with children who are under seven years old.

It offers clothing, shoes, unbranded school uniform, toiletries, nappies, baby formula, toys, prams and cots from its site in Manton Industrial Estate.

In 2024, it helped 1,200 families, up from 1,100 in 2023, and has eight volunteers, Ms Bayliss said.

"Just before Christmas we started to see a lot of people really over offering donations. It was from people having a clear-out before Christmas," she said.

"We have been inundated. It just shows how thoughtful people are.

"From the very beginning, we have always found people in Bedford extremely generous. It's amazing."

She said although currently it could not accept any more toys and clothes, it would never turn away cots and prams as they were always "in high demand".

"A lot of the stuff comes from people we've helped before. They say to us, 'you really helped us out a year ago, and now I want to give back'," she added.

"As their children grow, they send the next batch of donations."

Ms Bayliss thought the baby bank's popularity was down to its steady growth and a rise in awareness, as it moved into bigger premises in February last year.

"People know about us they know we can help," she said.

"We're really grateful, it's positive. We just have to manage what we have room for."