Baby bank moves into new Shrewsbury headquarters to help meet growing demand
Housing Plus Group has helped support a baby bank as it moves into its new headquarters in Shrewsbury.
Little Stars works to ensure babies and children across Shropshire have access to the essentials they need at every stage of childhood such as nappies, equipment, clothing and school items.
Due to increasing demand, it has now moved into its own dedicated building on Battlefield Enterprise Park to allow it to upscale its operations and to continue providing this much-needed service for families.
To help cover setup costs and make the new building comfortable for staff and volunteers, Housing Plus Group donated £2,000 to the charity.
Founder and Chief Executive of Little Stars, Leanne Simcoe, said: “That support meant I was able to invest in the essential health and safety work needed in our new premises. We were also able to purchase items for the staff kitchen, buy fleeces to keep our volunteers warm in the warehouse, and fund marketing materials so people can find us easily and know where we are.
"It was great to have that pressure lifted because it was core funding for us.”
The new premises will be used as an office and storage warehouse, and Leanne is looking for volunteers who would like to help organise the new space.
Leanne added: “In terms of volunteering, we’ve just moved into our new premises, so our focus is on sorting the stock we already have and organising it into categories such as spring and summer.
“It’s about being more granular with the sorting so we can work more efficiently. Once everything is organised, we’ll know exactly what we need and can reach out to the community for those donated items.”
Housing Plus Group is a registered social landlord that provides 34,000 homes for social and affordable rent, as well as a range of care services, across Shropshire, Staffordshire and Telford & Wrekin.
It’s money advice teams work closely with Little Stars to help support tenants who may be struggling to afford essentials for their children.
Housing Plus Group’s Social Value and Inclusion Manager, Sam Hine, said: “Our Money Matters team is already linked with Little Stars, and when I met Leanne and she talked me through their aspirations and the move into the new building, it just felt like an obvious choice to support them.
“They’re making a real difference for people who live in our homes, so supporting their work made perfect sense. We hope our support will make a meaningful difference to anyone in need and help ease the pressure for those who may be struggling.”
Housing Plus Group’s My Community Fund is delivered in partnership with Jewson and Efficiency East Midlands Limited (EEM) and supports grass-roots organisations in Staffordshire, Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin. Local charities and voluntary groups can apply for grants online at: housingplusgroup.co.uk/contact/my-community-fund/
Anyone who would like to volunteer at Little Stars can email enquiries@littlestarscharity.org. You can also visit the website to find out more or access support.
