2021-04-04-accounts

ANNUAL REPORT

For the period 1[st] April 2020 till 31[st] March 2021

of THE OXFORD BABY BANK

COWLEY ROAD METHODIST CHURCH , COWLEY ROAD OXFORD OX4 1BN

Charity trustees who have managed the charity for this period:

Dr Emily MacKeith General Practitioner CHAIR AND ORGANISATION OF DONATION DAYS 8 Highfield Avenue Headington Oxford OX3 7LR [e-mail]

Caroline Barry Consultant Clinical Psychologist SECRETARY AND FUND RAISING 7 Northmoor Road Oxford OX2 6UW [e-mail]

Suzanne Lingard Senior Social Worker PROFESSIONAL LIAISON 27 Witney Road Eynsham OXON OX29 4PH [e-mail]

Emma Poynton Teacher TREASURER 48 Quarry Road Headington Oxford OX3 8NX [e-mail]

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MISSION STATEMENT

The objective of the Oxford Baby Bank is to help to alleviate poverty amongst families who are struggling to cope with the cost of raising babies and toddlers. The service we provide is available to residents of Oxford and surrounding villages and small towns, including Witney, Abingdon and Wallingford. A secondary object is to promote waste reduction, as the vast majority of what we give away is recycled. We do provide new mattresses, nappies and some other consumables, which we purchase to give away, but the bulk of the clothing and equipment that we give to families who need it has been collected.

We aim to achieve our objective by collecting clothing and equipment from families who have finished with it and distributing it free of charge to women who are in substantial need of material help in caring for their babies and toddlers. These resources are stored at our base, so that we are in a position to supply responsively and in emergencies. Recipients are referred by community midwives, health visitors, social workers, GPs, women’s refuges etc. In this way, we identify those in need of support. During the pandemic, we have moved to a model of distribution that depends primarily on the referring professionals picking up from us, or our dropping of to the recipients. This has in fact worked very well and we have realised that this is much more effective way of operating. Whilst in principle it would be desirable to invite our recipients in, in practice, it is clear that for the majority, making a trip across the city is prohibitive.

It remains at the heart of our enterprise that we want to facilitate the work of front-line staff in carrying out their work with families in need. We can provide quick responses to circumstances where there is a practical requirement and have been able to support discharge from hospital the same day, as we have stored and free resources. We also know from some of the professionals

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that we work with that their being able to arrive with ‘gifts’ often helps build relationships and trust.

COLLECTIONS

This past year has been a difficult one for collections. In the past, we have relied on schools and other institutions to allow us to organise donation days on their premises, but with social distancing and the effective closure of schools to all but the most essential of visitors, this has not been possible. The Windmill School, Headington, has continued to find an informal way to help. Other networks have also proved invaluable. Our thanks to Anna CarhartHarris and the Botley Mums network and Laura Middleton and the Phil and Jim’s parent groups. As the situation relaxes, we hope to be able to resume bigger collection drives and indeed some are in the pipeline.

We are enduringly grateful to the skilled knitters of Shared Knitting in Headington who have been knitting us cardigans and blankets, as have the generous knitters of the Methodist Church network, in particular the prolific Laura Mayo.

STORAGE

We started out our formal journey in a tiny storage room at the Methodist Church in the Cowley Road, which we rented in October 2019. We soon outgrew this (baby equipment is very bulky) and just before lockdown in March last year moved to a significantly bigger room within the church, which we hope will suffice for the time being. Initially, it was uncertain how we were going to function during lockdown and at first we gave a significant portion of our newborn baby clothes to the delivery suite at the John Radcliffe Hospital. We also gave away what nappies we had (as there was an initial shortage due to stockpiling) to Homestart. But we quickly decided that with precautions and a new way of operating, we could function perfectly well during lockdown and that it was necessary that we should.

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As rent is our most significant expense, we have decided to keep quite close control on inventory and to maintain only small stocks of buggies, cots etc. We have no need to build an equipment mountain, which costs us money to store, so we will not always accept equipment offered to us. From a safety point of view, we are also only going to invite donations of pieces of equipment that are 5 years old or less.

PUBLICITY

Our main aim has been to network with frontline staff to ensure that they know that they can call on us and that we will respond quickly and reliably in a way that supports them and their clients. Certainly awareness of our function and ability to react quickly is growing.

STRUCTURE

The Oxford Baby Bank is governed by a constitution. New trustees are appointed by the committee of trustees. The current committee of trustees will be in place for the next two years at least.

Last summer we applied for Charitable Status as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO). This is a designation reserved for small charities with an annual income of less than £12,000. Our charity number, of which we are very proud, is 1190257.

The trustees run the Baby Bank on a day to day basis as volunteers. Sometimes, they are joined on appointment days and collection days by other volunteers, who lend a practical hand. All trustees are DBS checked and other volunteers are always teamed up with them.

ACHIEVEMENTS

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For the calendar year 2020, we helped 102 families with significant supplies of clothing and equipment. At the time of writing (4[th] May), we have already helped 53 families this year, so the rate of referrals is climbing steeply. It is difficult to estimate the average value of goods received by an individual family, but we keep records of what is given, so that at some point we can carry out an exercise to try to value the average basket of goods.

The response from families who have received donations has been very positive, as has that of the professionals who have referred or been part of our distribution network:

“ Thank you ever so much. I’m so grateful for your help. If ever in the future I have something for children I want to donate, I will definitely be willing to help and support the baby bank “ SH referred by community midwife

“Thank you for all the amazing clothes and the cot. You are marvellous” LF health visitor

“That’s so amazing. Thank you so so much. I bet she was so thankful.” HM community midwife

“That would be amazing. Yes please. We are a little short of clothes which aren’t blue, but any clothes will do! I am so grateful to you.” HO delivery suite co-ordinator and consultant midwife John Radcliffe Hospital.

In addition to helping specific referred families, we have distributed goods through Homestart and the Blackbird Leas Community Centre.

FINANCIAL REVIEW

Over the past year we have been grateful to the following for financial help:

• The Ffeoffees of St Michael’s and All Saints

• The Doris Field Charitable Trust

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• The ASDA Foundation (their community Champion Linda Blackmore is a loyal supporter both with money and goods)

• Waitrose Green token scheme, both Headington and Botley Road

• The Oxford Community Foundation Covid grants

We have prepared annual accounts for the financial year April 2020 to April 2021 and our financial status is healthy. We were very concerned not to move into larger premises without ensuring that we had sufficient reserves, as this is by far the biggest financial commitment for us. Currently we have sufficient reserves to meet our outgoings for 18 months. We intend to apply to all the above for on-going assistance. We are also looking to apply for a grant specifically to buy items which have safety/health implications eg. stair-gates, mattresses, sterilisers etc. The Covid grant from the OCF has been spent on consumables, mainly nappies to ease the financial burden of families hit financially by the pandemic.

HOW EXPENDITURE HAS SUPPORTED THE KEY OBJECTIVES OF THE CHARITY

Our main expenditure is on rent for our base at the Methodist Church in the Botley Road. We have also had to equip this space with heavy- duty warehouse storage systems.

DECLARATION:

The trustees of the Oxford Baby Bank declare this to be a full, transparent and accurate account of our first year’s activities.

Signatories:

Emily MacKeith

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Caroline Barry Emma Poynton Suzanne Lingard

Oxford Baby Bank: Accounting period 6 April 2020 - 5 April 2021

INCOME					EXPENSES
Person or Group	ITEMS	AMOUNT	DATE		SUPPLIER	PRODUCT	AMOUNT	DATE
OXON COMM FOUND NET OCF	Grant	500	28-May		Cowley Methodist Church	room rent	100	14-Apr
OXON COMM FOUND OCF DCMS NET	Grant	250	08-Oct		Aldi	nappies	12.71	14-Apr
CHQ IN AT 403534: Doris Field Charitable Trust	Donation	500	04-Dec		Cowley Methodist Church	room rent (increase)	150	17-Apr
ST MICHAELS CHUR ST MICHAELS GRANT	Grant	1200	10-Dec		Shopfitting Warehouse	hanging rail	61.62	20-Apr
CAF20120881670CF	Donation	50	11-Dec		Aldi	nappies and wipes	21.58	27-Apr
CHQ IN AT 402401: Waitrose Headington	Donation	333	19-Feb		Ikea.com	shelving	217.5	28-Apr
					Cowley Methodist Church	room rent	250	12-May
	TOTAL	2833			WWW.JOHNLEWIS.COM 03456 049 049	mattresses/moses mattresses	52	14-May-20
					LINENS LTD OLDHAM	moses basket liners	50.75	14-May-20
					ALDI 77 775 OXFORD	Nappies/chocolate/baby bath/wipes	41.5	29-May-20
TOTALS					ALDI 77 775 OXFORD	nappies/wipes/baby bath/milk	39.36	03-Jun-20
INCOME in period	2833				SAINSBURY'S S/MKT KIDLINGTON	Formula milk/nappies/wipes/shampoo/b	39.4	05-Jun-20
EXPENDITURE in period	4892.4				COWLEY METHODIST OXFORD BABY BANK	room rent	250	12-Jun-20
					ALDI 77 775 OXFORD	Nappies/wipes	26.48	18-Jun-20
BALANCE	-2059.4				DUNELM LTD OXFORD	Various cot sheets	27.88	18-Jun-20
					ALDI 77 775 OXFORD	nappies/baby bath	49.12	08-Jul-20
					ALDI 77 775 OXFORD	baby food/milk/nappies	34.91	13-Jul-20
BALANCE AS AT 6 APR 2020	7463.07				COWLEY METHODIST OXFORD BABY BANK	Room rental	250	13-Jul-20
BALANCE AS AT 5 APR 2021	5403.67				RYMAN 1172 OXFORD	White tack/Pens	8.99	22-Jul-20
					WWW.JOHNLEWIS.COM 03456 049 049	matresses	160	31-Jul-20
					BIGDUG LIMITED GLOUCESTER	Shelving units	154.8	03-Aug-20
					ALDI 77 775 OXFORD	nappies/sheets/cups/wipes/moses sheet	42.37	07-Aug-20
					DUNELM LTD OXFORD	moses sheets	36	07-Aug-20
					COWLEY METHODIST OXFORD BABY BANK	Room rental	250	12-Aug-20
					IKEA LTD 185 MILTOBLETCHLEY	high chair covers	9	14-Aug-20
					ALDI 77 775 OXFORD	nappies/wipes/soothers/baby bath	45.86	18-Aug-20
					ALDI 77 775 OXFORD	nappies/sheets/nappy sacks	18.36	27-Aug-20
					COWLEY METHODIST OXFORD BABY BANK	Room rental	250	14-Sep-20
					POST OFFICE COUNTEOXFORD	stamps	16.92	02-Oct-20
					GODADDY.COM EUROPE020 7979 2661	website provider	100.66	12-Oct-20
					COWLEY METHODIST OXFORD BABY BANK	Room rental	250	12-Oct-20
					SAINSBURYS S/MKTS HEYFORD HILL	toys/clothes	45	20-Oct-20
					ALDI 77 775 OXFORD	nappies/coats/baby bath/wipes	41.56	20-Oct-20
					ALDI 77 775 OXFORD	nappies/wipes	41.79	26-Oct-20
					COWLEY METHODIST OXFORD BABY BANK	Room rental	250	12-Nov-20
					ALDI 77 775 OXFORD	nappies/wipes	45.97	17-Nov-20
					ALDI 77 775 OXFORD	nappies/wipes/milk/pyjamas	44.88	14-Dec-20
					COWLEY METHODIST OXFORD BABY BANK	Room rental	250	14-Dec-20
					JOHN LEWIS OXFORD	Printer cartridges	33.99	21-Dec-20

COWLEY METHODIST OXFORD BABY BANK HOME BARGAINS OXFORD ALDI 77 775 OXFORD ALDI 77 775 OXFORD ALDI STORES 775-14OXFORD HOME BARGAINS OXFORD ALDI 77 775 OXFORD COWLEY METHODIST OXFORD BABY BANK COWLEY METHODIST OXFORD BABY BANK ASDA PETROL/UPT THAME ALDI 77 775 OXFORD HOME BARGAINS OXFORD HOME BARGAINS OXFORD

Room rent 250 12-Jan-21 changing mats 11.98 20-Jan-21 nappies/steriliser/sleeping bag/nappy sa 86.68 20-Jan-21 nappies/wipes/steriliser/bottles 66.3 27-Jan-21 Nappies/books/wipes 39.71 02-Feb-21 toys/muslins 14.97 10-Feb-21 Nappies/shampoo/books/wipes 50.07 10-Feb-21 Room rental 250 12-Feb-21 Room rental 250 12-Mar-21 fuel: drop offs (CB) 27.83 18-Mar-21 towels/muslins/bodysuits 29.95 22-Mar-21 changing mats 17.97 22-Mar-21 safety gate/changing mat 25.98 26-Mar-21

TOTAL 4892.4