Sefton baby charity makes urgent appeal for clothes as demand for its support grows

A Sefton charity that supports mums and families facing hardship has made an urgent appeal for baby clothes as demand on them continues to grow.

Sefton Baby Baskets has asked for 0-1 month babygros, vests, knitted cardigans and any other early essentials to create its much needed Moses baskets and offer support to people ‘when they need it
most’.

Chairperson Gill Ruane says:

“We are running out of clothes more quickly because there’s a greater demand than ever for what we provide. Already this year, it’s up by 20% on last year.”

In 2024, Sefton Baskets supported 460 young families and last year, it helped 574.

Gill adds:

“This year we have already supported 288. It might be for emotional reasons and someone needs a lift in their pregnancy or, I suspect largely, it’s for financial reasons. Babies are expensive. The Moses baskets we give out and everything in them would cost £500 if you were to buy it all from new, and that’s a lot of money if you don’t have it.

“We like to think of young mums being able to enjoy those months before and after a baby arrives, and be excited, and not have to worry about being able to afford it.”

The charity based in Waterloo Town Hall was founded six years ago after a church group appealed for baby clothes for Liverpool Women’s Hospital because they were struggling to get hold of them for mums in lockdown.

“My daughter-in-law runs a women’s fitness group where they bring their children with them, so we put an appeal out and were inundated with clothes which we sorted and passed out to the hospital and different groups and centres, and we just evolved from there and have grown year on year.

“I think a midwife came and said there were no baby banks in our area, and that spurred us on.”

Sefton Baby Baskets – who’ve been nominated in BBC Radio Merseyside’s Make A Difference Awards- provide a Moses basket that’s filled with everything a new mum and baby needs including a new mattress for the basket, babygros, vests, sleep bags, cardigans, muslin cloths, towels, hats, socks, blankets and more.

They present mums with a toiletry bag filled with everything she needs for hospital including all the toiletries for her, and maternity pads, breast pads, and everything for the baby – nappies, bath wash, wipes, thermometer packs, brushes, sensory toys, etc. There’s even a gift for mums of new pyjamas, a dressing gown and slippers – there’s even a chocolate treat – ‘so when they go into hospital, they feel like every other mum’.

Gill said:

“We wrap it all in cellophane and tie it with a big bow and a gift tag because we very much want it to feel like a gift and not charity, something given with care and love,” smiles Gill. Sefton Baby Baskets doesn’t deal directly with mums but with the agencies who look after them, like midwives, health visitors, schools, refuges, housing associations and social services: “Anyone who’s working in a support capacity with that mum or family.”

“We don’t have a criteria as such, we just assume they know the circumstances of the family and that they are in need, and that our baskets will help in some way. There’s no judgment. Sometimes people just don’t have the money needed to get everything they need for their baby. The charity is run by around 17 regular volunteers, mainly retired women, who have found ‘a lovely, lovely social group’: “So we’re not only helping families, but each other too.”

“We all feel very strongly that our mums should be able to enjoy their pregnancy as much as any other person, to enjoy the last few weeks when you’re going out and getting stuff you need and getting your drawers ready.

“I want our mums to feel that joy and pleasure as well, I don’t think anyone should have to worry about how they’re going to afford the things they need. I can’t imagine the worry … it must be awful.”

Anyone wanting to support Sefton Baby Baskets can donate money – although the JustGiving link is currently being updated – or new and good quality baby goods to the team at Waterloo Town Hall with drop offs every Monday and Wednesday between 9am and 12 noon.

Gill continued:

“People are very generous and we are proud of what we do, and that people trust us to deal with referrals quickly and that the items are good. All the nanas here feel it’s nice to know they’re helping someone with something that, if they needed it, they’d be glad to have themselves. It’s a good feeling to know you’re making all the difference in the world.”