Northampton charity dedicated to helping families in greatest need celebrates 11 years of essential work

A Northampton charity, dedicated to helping families in the greatest need, recently celebrated 11 years of essential work across the county.

Baby Basics provide packs in moses baskets to give babies a safe place to sleep and are filled with essentials for a new mother and child aged up to three months old.

An astounding 2,400 starter packs have been delivered to families struggling to afford the essentials over the past 11 years.

Sabrina Oakey, the charity lead, said: “We’re seeing such an increase in our referrals and so many different reasons for them – from escaping domestic abuse, financial difficulty to human trafficking. So many of the families referred to us have nowhere else to turn.

“They must choose between eating and purchasing items for their baby, often worried about keeping them warm because of the cost. We ensure all our packs are filled with warm bedding and clothing for the new babies.”

Sabrina expressed gratitude for the “amazing” Baby Basics community in the town, who she says “always rise to the challenges, step up and work with them to meet the need”.

“We honestly can’t thank them all enough for everything they do to help the charity ensure every baby in Northamptonshire has a safe place to sleep,” Sabrina added.

By working alongside and supporting NHS health professionals such as midwives and health visitors, as well as organisations like food banks, Baby Basics reach as many people as they can.

To celebrate the work they have done to support one in 25 babies born in the county over the past 11 years, last week they brought the community together to create 11 starter packs.

Held in the church in Grange Park where the charity was initially set up back in 2013, more than 35 supporters worked together during the session and 11 babies were given a safe place to sleep as a result.

Gemma Stammers, operations coordinator at Baby Basics, said: “We were so grateful to be joined by The 1st Roade Scout Group, representatives from the perinatal mental health team, Grange Park Church and an amazing mum who received a pack from us over six years ago.

“The pack had such an impact on her and her family that she really wanted to get involved in helping another family.”

Gemma was also pleased to see youthful members of the community join in, which made the team realise the impact of their work is known to people of all ages.

For more information, visit Baby Basics Northampton’s Facebook page here.