Wisbech baby bank founder shocked at increasing need

Baby bank founder Rachel Green said she could not believe people still need the charity

A woman who started a baby bank in 2020 - offering affordable items for parents in need - said she "never thought there would be this need four years on".

But Rachel Green is still running Fenland Family and Baby Bank, based in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire.

Ms Green said she thought after the pandemic she would end up selling her stock at a car boot sale.

However, she said this month the number of people asking for help had doubled since last year.

The store in Union Street is full of nappies, baby milk, clothing and buggies.

The baby bank is filled with items that might be needed by parents

"If we haven't got it, you can't get it," said Ms Green.

"The shop is open for everyone, it's not means-tested, but we do ask you to be appreciative and not to take advantage."

But she is "frustrated" that the facility is still needed.

"Never, ever, in my wildest dreams did I think I'd be here," she said.

"It frustrates me that [working people] can't supply for [their] own family. We shouldn't be living like that."

In the first fortnight of 2024, she counted 42 new families who asked for help.

The charity, in Wisbech, supports families with young children and babies struggling with the cost of living

People visit from across Cambridgeshire, Peterborough and Lincolnshire.

"It just makes me sad that people are in such desperate times."

She said the hub was also good for people's mental health, with some just coming in to talk to staff, who happily play with their babies.

The shop is generally only open four days per week, but Ms Green said she was "at it seven days a week" and she did not see an end while the baby bank was still needed.

Last year the baby bank won BBC Radio Cambridgeshire's Make a Difference community group award, and nominations are now open for 2024.

To nominate someone for a BBC Radio Cambridgeshire Make a Difference award - go to bbc.co.uk/makeadifference, where you can also see full terms and our privacy notice. Nominations are now open and will close on Sunday 10 March 2024 at 23:00 GMT.