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West Cumbria Baby Bank was established in January 2021 to help alleviate the impacts of childhood poverty for babies and young children in the Cumberland area. The project provides baby clothing, moses baskets, cots, toiletries and essential baby equipment via referrals from midwives, health visitors, social services and other support agencies.
We connect donations from the public and businesses, with the health professionals supporting the families. West Cumbria Baby Bank improves post-natal safety and wellbeing of the baby and mother, as well as providing dignify and hope at this vulnerable time of their lives.
We are a member of the Baby Bank Alliance; if we do not cover your area, you can find other banks via their map by clicking on the link below
Referrals
If you are a professional working directly with families and would like to become one of our referral partners, please register using this form below.
How can I be referred
If you are pregnant or a parent to a baby or young child, and feel you need support please speak to your community midwife or health visitor, who can put in a referral to us. Our FAQs page can offer more information, if you need it.
More information about the West Cumbria Baby Bank
Please select the links below to find out more information about the West Cumbria Baby Bank, how you can help us, frequently asked questions (FAQ's) and how you can get in touch with us.
Donate stuff
We are so grateful for the donations that we're given, particularly as we know that many items have special memories associated with them, so thank you for supporting our project in this way. Here are details below of what we can and can not accept:
Yes please list
Baby clothing (Sizes: Prem, Newborn, 0-3 months & 3-6 months ONLY. Stain free & clean please!)
Muslins, socks, bibs & booties
Toiletries & nappies for baby
Toiletries, maternity pads, breast pads & treats for mum
Moses baskets (remove mattress) & stands
Bedding- blankets & fitted sheets for moses baskets & cots/cotbeds
Sterilisers (cold water or microwave)
Bouncy chairs
Play mats/gyms
Baby baths (mould free, without stands)
Board books & sensory toys (e.g. rainmakers, stacking cups)
Change bags
Maternity clothes (Clean, odour & stain free with some wear left please)
Cots & cotbeds (Appointment only- please message us)
Pushchairs (Appointment only- please message us)
Highchairs (Appointment only- please message us. Mould free.)
No thank you list
Car seats
Used mattresses (moses basket or cot/cotbed)
Slings
Travel cots or next-to-me Cribs
Talc/baby powder
Potties or toilet seats
Used electric items like baby monitors or sterilisers
Used bottles or breast pumps
Washable nappies
Maternity books
Stairgates or other safety equipment
Door bouncers
Bumbo seats or Jumperoos
Food and milk powder
Stuffed hand knitted toys without safety label
Large toys/jigsaws etc.
Medication
How to get items to us
Equipment & Clothing - Via donation boxes located in Cockermouth & Whitehaven. Please message us with your preferred location for information on their location. Donations should be clean, stain/mould free, like new or with plenty of wear left in them. Clothing should be sorted into size and in a labelled bag as this makes sorting more efficient for our hard-working volunteers.
Toiletries & Nappies - Via drop off points at Boots Cockermouth or the Co-op Egremont. Toiletries must be new and unused.
Cots/cot-beds - We can only accept them if they are: in excellent condition, clean, have all fixtures & fittings.
Pushchairs - We can only accept them if they have: working brakes, 5-point harness, suitable from birth (fully reclines), wheels in good condition, and clean.
Highchairs - We can only accept them if they have: working hardness, mould-free and clean.
Referrals
How can I be referred? Please contact your community midwife, health visitor or other health professional to discuss your circumstance and ask them to make a referral on your behalf.
How does the referral process work? We receive a referral via a health professional who provides basic information about the circumstance of the family, with expected delivery date of the baby or age of the very young child/children. We then prepare the referral package and coordinate with the health professional for the items to be collected from our storeroom in Cleator Moor by one of their team, who then pass it onto the family. All information is held in the strictest of confidence.
Donations
How do I make a donation? We are so grateful for any donations from our 'Yes Please' list. Please look at our section of the website 'How to get items to you' to find out the various ways. Any questions on items suitability or location, please just get in contact.
How do I know what you need donating? Please look at our 'Needed Items' list which is updated weekly. It is also posted on our Facebook page. These are the items that we're particularly short of during that time, but we're always keen on any clothing and clothes listed on our 'Yes Please' list.
What quality do the items have to be in? We ask that clothing and bedding is stain and odour free, with some wear still left it in please. Moses baskets, baths and other equipment should be mould free and suitable for newborn babies to use. A good guide is asking yourself if you would happy to pass the items onto your friend or not.
How can I volunteer? Yes, we love volunteers. Check out our volunteer section to find out how.
Can I donate money? Yes, we would be so grateful. It enables us to purchase items quickly if we have run out of donations, such as toiletries, maternity pads, nappies and breast pads. Take a look at our 'Donate money' section.
How do you spend donated money? We use any money donated to purchase items needed for the project such as toiletries, new mattresses for moses baskets and cots, baby towels etc.
If you want to contact the West Cumbria Baby Bank please fill in the form below: