The Gift of a Good Start
DAVE YOUNG
Baby Basics Hastings and Rother, based at King’s Church Centre on the Ridge, supports expectant mothers struggling to meet the financial and practical needs of their new arrival by providing a Moses basket starter pack with essentials for a baby aged 0-3 months, as well as toiletries for mum.
Baby Basics starter pack
Centre coordinator Mairi Reid was a single parent when she began working with the project through her membership of the church.
“My heart was in it,” she says. Mairi deals with referrals, assisted by a team of five volunteers who give their time to sort and prepare donations; Val and Lily were packing baskets when HIP visited.
They aim to provide practical help to women and babies in a range of circumstances, including refugees and those experiencing poverty, homelessness and domestic abuse.
“Ten years ago, we prepared one basket a month; now it’s five a week,” explains Mairi. “I see it as a privilege to be able to do this. We want to give a gift of love and tell these mums and babies that they matter. Help and kindness, a practical present at a most vulnerable time.”
The service is available by professional referral (midwife, health visitor, social worker) only and does not deal with individual applications. Aware of safeguarding and the need to maintain boundaries, Mairi and her team never meet the mums they help – although they receive a lot of positive feedback.
King’s Church provides premises and some funding, but although the project is supported by the church, it is open to everyone, regardless of their beliefs. It is part of the Baby Basics UK network and works with a hub at Eastbourne which assists children up to five years old. It also has close links with the adjacent Trussell Trust food bank.
Donations can be in kind or money; most are from local people, businesses and voluntary groups – several knit baby clothes and blankets. A full list of what is needed is online.
Baby Basics is at The Hastings Centre, The Ridge, TN34 2SA. Open for donations on Thursdays, 9am-12pm. Contact on Facebook or email ([email protected]).
We hope you have enjoyed reading this article. The future of our volunteer led, non-profit publication would be far more secure with the aid of a small donation. You can also support local journalism by becoming a friend of HIP. It only takes a minute and we would be very grateful.
Leave a Reply