Kate makes surprise visit to baby bank that gives out essentials to new mothers
The Princess asked the charity’s joint CEOs - Rebecca Mistry and Lauren Hall - lots of questions about their organisation and the local demand.
The Princess of Wales helped sort newborn baby clothes as she made a surprise visit to a baby bank and spoke to staff about the demands of being a mum.
Kate, 41, whose son Prince Louis celebrated his birthday on Sunday, told staff at the donations centre that she could not believe her youngest son had already turned five.
The princess has visited several community initiatives in the Windsor area since her family moved there last year and told the organisers – who wrote asking if she would like to visit – that she was keen to see their work firsthand.
The princess, dressed in a cream blazer over a white top, was shown the piles of bags and boxes of clothes, toys and equipment received at The Baby Bank in Maidenhead.
The Baby Bank was founded in 2015 by two mothers from Windsor and strives to provide essential items to families facing financial hardship.
It provides a range of objects to parents including newborn starter kits, school uniforms, nappies, buggies and beds.
The royal mother-of-three has long been a supporter of baby banks, and has visited a number of donation centres across the country over the years.
Unlike other baby banks they provide clothes, including school uniforms, for children up until the age of 16.
The Princess asked the charity’s joint CEOs – Rebecca Mistry and Lauren Hall – lots of questions about their organisation and the local demand.
Rebecca explained how they try to match up donations with specific children so they don’t feel like they are relying on random hand-outs. ‘You put your own child in the picture,’ she explained.
‘Have you seen the needs of families change recently? ‘ Kate asked, surprised to discovered that while they had seen a huge rise in need, this has not been matched by donations from the public.
‘People are hanging on to what they have or passing it to friends or selling things like buggies for a little cash,’ Lauren explained.
What items are hard to come by?’ Kate asked, and was told nappies, buggies and bigger items such a single beds.
‘There is community support out there but it’s knowing where to go to get that support. And there is a stigma that exists sometimes, isn’t there? ‘ she asked.
‘Absolutely, we frequently find people who say “I can’t believe I need help from a charity” or “I don’t need help from a charity,”‘ agreed Rebecca.. ‘But we so strict about clothing that we give out.
‘We know we are impacting someone mental health, affecting their family by what their child is wearing. We really try to match what we have with a particular child and double check stuff for quality.’
Kate examined a large pile of boxes that had been donated by Mattel containing Buzz Lightyear toys.
‘Oh yes, my daughter is a huge fan of Toy Story,’ the princess said.
She was interested to hear about The Baby Bank’s reach as ‘people might not initially think it’s a primary need area’.
Rebecca then told her: ‘Well if you don’t mind we will take you upstairs to help us sort some stuff out.’ ‘Yes please!’ Kate enthused.
Faced with huge piles of donated clothes that needed to be sorted out into age categories, she said: ‘This must be one of the more time-consuming elements.’
Chatting with volunteers, she joked: ‘I’m not going to double check your work, don’t worry.
‘It’s actually very hard, some of them don’t have labels on them. Would you be looking for the quality of the items donated?’
She remarked on how tiny the clothes were, saying how her youngest son, Louis, had turned five the previous day.
‘It only feels like yesterday that they were this tiny. They do grow so quickly.’
The princess was also keen to talk about the importance of volunteering and The Big Help Out, an event being held on May 8 as part of the Coronation celebrations to encourage people to get out and volunteer in their communities.
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