Stories

Wed, 06 May 2026

Wed, 06 May 2026 'I try hard to budget but wonder how I'll cope'

The Brent branch of Little Village says there is "a lot of need" in the local area.

* A baby bank in north-west London, Little Village, supports families struggling to afford basic necessities for their young children.
* Branch manager Renata Acioli said there is a high demand for support, with a referral every 40-50 seconds.
* A recent report found that child poverty can have a severe emotional toll on parents, with some considering extreme measures such as putting their children up for adoption.
* The charity's statistics show that they supported families across all London boroughs last year, nearly 12,000 times - a 27% increase from the previous year.
* Many parents receiving support from Little Village reported feeling anxious or hopeless about providing for their children, with 40% saying they felt anxious and one in four reporting mental health issues.
* The charity gifted families essential items such as clothes, beds, toys and bikes, but were unable to help all those who needed it.
* One parent shared a story of being so overwhelmed that she considered putting her newborn up for adoption due to feelings of isolation and inadequacy.