Pram appeal as Coventry baby bank sees rising demand
A city baby bank has issued an urgent appeal for prams and baby travel systems after seeing increasing demand from people in need. Baby Godiva was set up to support families with young children struggling to afford essentials. The organisation collects and sorts items donated by the community before distributing them. But chief executive Kate Wilson said it was down to its last handful of pushchairs and bosses needed more support.
"We've given away 32 [pushchairs] this year already so we're averaging about ten a month to families in need," she told BBC CWR. "We're working with a lot of teenage pregnancies, care leavers and people fleeing domestic abuse who just have nothing and need a lot of help when they're pregnant."
The charity, which has been recognised by the BBC Make a Difference Awards, was launched in 2019. Its founder Belle Edgar-McCabe had been at a family hub when she heard about a young mother who could not afford nappies. Since then, workers and volunteers have helped hundreds of families and linked up with midwives, health visitors and social workers to support even more.Ms Wilson said there were a number of different reasons why demand had risen. "I think some of it is the cost of living crisis," she explained. "We're all in the pinch right now and babies are very expensive. "Some of it is [because] we are trying to really promote the charity at the moment and tell people we are out there and can help. "It does lead to a need of more items."
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Daily Mail
2 days ago
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Philip Brennan Oxhill, Warwickshire How Napoli football fans celebrated in style SIR – I read with sadness of the troubles in Paris following PSG's Champions League victory (' Macron blames hooligans for 'depriving France' after two deaths in PSG fan chaos ', Sport, June 1). I had the pleasure of being in Sorrento in 2023, when Napoli won the Italian League for the first time in 33 years. The streets were thronged with fans who were, without exception, noisy but well-behaved. Much drink had clearly been consumed, all with the usual Italian exuberance, but both my wife and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. English and French fans would do well to learn some manners from the local Napoli fans. Apprenticeships could transform the Forces SIR – What possible incentive is there for any young person to spend a gap year in the military (report, June 3)? 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Rather, we could negotiate a leasing agreement for US equipment, with instructions for our military on how to deploy it, in a similar way to how we taught the Ukrainian military to use our drones and other specialist weapons. E A Sclater Andover, Hampshire SIR – A few years ago, I spoke about how to become an airline pilot at a secondary school's careers day. I went on to explain how it was also possible to train in one of our Armed Forces, as I had begun my career as a helicopter pilot in the Royal Navy. As my class filtered out, a young boy hung back and told me, with shining eyes, that he'd never heard of such an exciting career and was definitely going to find out more. That one boy made my day worthwhile. Letters to the Editor We accept letters by email and post. Please include name, address, work and home telephone numbers. ADDRESS: 111 Buckingham Palace Road, London, SW1W 0DT EMAIL: dtletters@ FOLLOW: Telegraph Letters @LettersDesk
