Baby Basics Wrexham celebrating third birthday with National Lottery Community funding award

A community group that provides support to local families is celebrating its third birthday with a funding boost from the National Lottery.

Baby Basics Wrexham, based in the Priory Centre in the city centre, hands out out hampers full of essential baby clothing and supplies to expectant mums identified by professionals.

The group, which was set up in February 2021 during the height of the covid pandemic, is run entirely by volunteers.

It was recently awarded £5000 in National Lottery Community funding.

The money will help support the group’s work in providing essentials for the post-natal safety and wellbeing of the baby and mother in a bid to prevent debt and provide dignity and hope at this vulnerable time of their lives.

Baby Basics Wrexham was founded by Sarah Davies, a teacher and mum, and others at Christ Church, after she realised that the community was struggling to provide support to local families and their children and she wanted to make a difference.

They work through a referral basis mainly with midwives, health visitors, social workers, council staff and other professionals who can properly assess the needs of the family.

Since its launch in 2021 Baby Basics Wrexham, which is part of the Baby Basics UK and Baby Bank Alliance, has made up over 160 hampers for families.

The additional funding from the National Lottery will help purchase new Moses baskets and stands, mattresses, nappies, toiletries, hygiene products, bedding, baby towels and changing mats as well as improve the functionality of their centre.

The team also recruits donations from people in Wrexham and every single week they receive donations of preloved (‘gently used’) clothing and new toiletries from the people of Wrexham who want to support local people.

Recently several of the mums who received a hamper previously have donated things back to be given out again.

Every Monday the volunteers come in to receive and sort donations from the community and to make up the hampers they give out.

The referrers come pick up them up and deliver them to the mums.

Sarah Opper, centre manager since July 2023, said: “We’re delighted that The National Lottery Community Fund has recognised our work in this way.

“Now, thanks to National Lottery players we will be able to help more local families who are struggling to provide for their new babies, giving dignity and hope at a stressful time.

“This will be vital to support vulnerable babies in our community, helping to alleviate some of the impacts of childhood poverty.

“If you think you might qualify for a referral, please speak to your midwife or health visitor and ask them about this service.

“If you need equipment like prams or highchairs, please contact Baby Equipment Bank Wrexham run by Homestart.”

Last year Baby Basics Wrexham was honoured to be a chosen charity to receive a donation from the proceeds of  the inaugural Wrexham Business and Community Awards (WBCA) Night.

To find out more about donating or getting involved check out their active Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/babybasicswrexham which lists the week’s needed donations and other updates and photos.”

The National Lottery Community Fund recently launched its new strategy, ‘It starts with community’, which will underpin its efforts to distribute at least £4 billion of National Lottery funding by 2030. 

TNL explain: National Lottery players raise over £30 million a week for good causes across the UK. Thanks to them, last year The National Lottery Community Fund was able to distribute over half a billion pounds (£615.4 million) of life-changing funding to communities.