Record year for distributions at baby bank

A "baby bank" charity says it helped 23% more families over the past year than the year before, supporting nearly 25,000 children.

Stripey Stork, based in Reigate, Surrey, said it helped over 14,000 families across the county and Croydon, London, in 2025 by collecting and redistributing baby and children's items to families in need.

According to founder Nicola Dawes, the charity helped 356 families in its first year 12 years ago, but can sometimes help that many in just a week now.

"We see that desperate need but we also see a fantastic community that comes together to make it happen," Ms Dawes told BBC Radio Surrey.

Stripey Stork runs fundraising events and has relationships with schools, businesses and community groups that allow it to provide its services.

It has 21 part-time staff members and 300 volunteers working out of three warehouses.

"It's sad to think that it's so needed but it is incredibly rewarding to see when you can actually find the right item and fulfil a request," Ms Dawes said.

People often have unneeded "valuable items" in garages or lofts "and they're tripping over them", she told the BBC.

"We've got this service that can take those in, make sure everything's safe and clean, and rehome it with someone who needs a helping hand."

She added: "It's so incredibly simple and our volunteers are really proud to be the ones that make it happen."

The charity opened a new workshop next to its Reigate warehouse in May for processing, safety checking and cleaning large items like buggies.

Stripey Stork runs specialist campaigns annually, such as its School Days school essentials campaign and its Santa Stork giving campaign at Christmas.

Santa Stork supplied gifts to over 5,000 children in December and fulfilled an additional 1,200 specific gift requests, according to the charity.

Ms Dawes said Surrey being an affluent area made it "even harder if you're struggling" for children.

"When you go back to school after Christmas and everyone's talking about all the wonderful presents that they had got for Christmas, it's really hard when you're someone who's missed out," she said.

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