Cwtch Baby Bank

An Impact Grant from Cash for Kids is helping Cwtch Baby Bank provide cots, Moses baskets, high-chairs and bouncy chairs for babies and young children whose families are referred for practical support.

For families preparing for a baby, some essentials cannot wait. Somewhere suitable to sleep. Clean bedding. A safe place to sit. A high-chair for feeding. These are ordinary items in many homes, but for families facing financial hardship or crisis, they can quickly become difficult to afford at the point they are needed most.

Cwtch Baby Bank helps meet that need across South Wales. The charity provides equipment, clothing, toys and toiletries for babies and young children up to 24 months old. Families are referred by health professionals, social care teams and other frontline services, so support reaches households through professionals who already understand their circumstances and what is needed.

The charity began with a simple, practical idea. After years as a foster carer, Hilary Johnston had good-quality baby clothes and equipment to pass on. When she looked for somewhere in Wales that could receive and redistribute those items to families who needed them, she found there was no similar service locally. In 2016, she set up Cwtch Baby Bank, the first baby bank of its kind in Wales.

That founding idea still shapes the charity’s work today: good-quality baby items should reach families when they are needed, not sit unused.

Many of the items Cwtch Baby Bank provides are donated by the public and redistributed after checks. But donations do not always match the referrals coming in. Some items are requested more often than they are given. Others are needed quickly, before the right donation arrives. For a referral-led baby bank, that gap matters.

What the grant enabled

The Cash for Kids grant helped Cwtch Baby Bank buy 10 cots and bedding packs, 10 Moses basket bundles, 10 high-chairs and 10 bouncy chairs. Together, these items help cover the basics of daily care: somewhere suitable for a baby to sleep, clean bedding, a place to eat, and equipment that helps parents and carers keep a baby settled and supervised while they manage the demands of the day.

For many households, these items are part of getting ready for a baby. For families referred to Cwtch Baby Bank, they may be out of reach just when they are most needed.

The difference you made

Hilary Johnston B.E.M, Founder and Trustee of Cwtch Baby Bank, said: “Every day we hear of families who are struggling to afford even the most basic essentials for their babies, and this grant will allow us to provide safe sleeping spaces and vital equipment to those who need it most.”

“The cost of living continues to place huge pressure on families, and sadly we are seeing more parents turning to us for help. Thanks to this funding, we can continue to ensure babies across South Wales have access to the essentials they deserve.”

The funding strengthens a practical chain of support: local grant-making, trusted professional referrals, and essential items reaching babies and families at the point they are needed. It means Cwtch Baby Bank can respond more reliably when the right donated item is not available, helping parents and carers face fewer urgent pressures alone.