2024-04-04-accounts

ANNUAL REPORT

THE OXFORD BABY BANK

Registered Charity number 1190257 COWLEY ROAD METHODIST CHURCH COWLEY ROAD OXFORD OX4 1BN

For the period 1[st ] April 2023 till 31[st ] March 2024 Charity trustees who have managed the charity for this period:

1. Dr Emily MacKeith General Practitioner CHAIR

2. 9 Southcroft, Old Marston Oxford OX3 0PF [e-mail]

3. Caroline Barry Consultant Clinical Psychologist SECRETARY AND FUND RAISING

4. 7 Northmoor Road Oxford OX2 6UW

[e-mail]

3. Suzanne Lingard Retired Senior Social Worker

PROFESSIONAL LIAISON

27 Witney Road, Eynsham OXON OX29 4PH [e-mail]

1. Emma Poynton Retired Teacher

TREASURER AND WEBSITE

48 Quarry Road, Headington Oxford OX3 8NX [e-mail]

1. 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. We also aim to reduce waste by handing on recycled resources.

2. IMPLEMENTATION

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, stair-gates and buggies, largely owing to safety concerns in passing on certain items, but the bulk of the clothing and equipment that we give away to families has been collected from donors in the community.

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.

Following a referral from a midwife, our team will do a drop off to the woman concerned. This is often in something of an emergency, as pregnancies are concealed or the woman has only accessed health care late on. In our small way, we hope to reduce stress levels in women coping with adverse circumstances, but we are also mindful of the pressure that looking after women in difficult circumstances imposes on the professionals

involved. So supporting the midwives and other frontline healthcare staff is a significant driver for us, and very much core to our values.

For other referrals, we ask the professional referrers to pick up from us. Initially we invited recipients in to the baby bank, but this proved inefficient, as people often did not understand the system, had no transport and did not attend. We have also learned from feedback from the professionals that the resources that they can collect from us can significantly help them in the forging relationships with ‘hard to reach’ clients and in a number of cases opens doors that would otherwise be closed.

3. COLLECTION

After some experimentation over the past five years as to how to collect our stock most efficiently, we have settled on the method of posting our email address on our website and inviting parents with things to donate to contact us. In this way, we can ascertain whether we need what is on offer, can accept the things we need and graciously (hopefully!) decline things that we don’t require and can’t store. We have to be mindful of using our limited storage space in the most effective way and this means only stocking the most useful and necessary items.

We thank all the parents who have answered the call and given so generously. We have had well over 200 donations of clothing and other goods over this financial year.

4. STORAGE

Since the end of 2019, we have been supported by the committee who run the Cowley Road Methodist Church, especially Dorothy Stepney and Beverley Clack. We started out in a tiny storage room, which we soon outgrew (baby equipment is very bulky) and in March 2020, we moved to a bigger room within the church which we make work, despite the fact that sometimes we are packed to the rafters. At present, we think that it would not be financially responsible to move to bigger premises, as we would fundamentally be paying to store more and more stuff. So we try to operate more along the lines of a ‘just in time logistics’ approach.

5. PUBLICITY

The issue of publicity is a tricky one, as there is no real necessity to reach out to the general public. Sufficient donors come forth to keep our supplies topped up without our going out of our way to publicise our organization. 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 and word spreading by mouth.

6. 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 three years, having already completed one four year term and volunteered to continue for a second. We are mindful of the need, over the next couple of years to induct some new trustees as part of a succession plan.

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.

It is estimated that the volunteer hours clocked up during the financial year 2023/24 is around 400. We have no staffing costs, which is unusual now for baby banks. We have joined the Baby Bank Alliance, an initiative of Save the Children Fund.

Through contact with other baby banks, we have become aware that many baby banks have paid staff. This is something that will be considered as part of our trustee succession plan.

7. ACHIEVEMENTS

During the year calendar year 2023, we helped 270 families. We have grown year on year since our modest beginnings in 2019. (Calendar year 2020, we helped 102 families. Calendar year 2021, we helped 165 families, calendar year 2022 we helped 249). It is a difficult philosophical question as to whether there is an imperative to keep growing. We keep the model, demands and feedback under review.

As stated above, we have joined the newly established Baby Bank Alliance and it is clear from observing the work and modus operandi of other baby banks that there are as many working models as there are baby banks. Those operating out of rural village halls can operate differently from those in deprived city centres like ours, where there are more security concerns.

In addition to supporting the work of health and social work professionals, we are now working regularly with organisations that support migrants (Migrant Help and Asylum Welcome) and housing associations providing specialist services to single

mothers and refugees (eg A2 Dominion Housing). The response from families who have received donations has been very positive:

Hi Caroline I don’t know whether I said it yesterday to you. I just wanted to say a huge thank you for all the beautiful items that were given to me yesterday. They are greatly appreciated.

SA Dec 2023

Thanks for the items Caroline. I really appreciate.

OM April 2024

-as has that of the professionals who have referred:

All I can say is a massive thank you for all your hard work. Your brilliant service is invaluable to our families and we wouldn’t know what to do if it wasn’t for you. This thanks obviously extends to all the very generous families who donate to you.

VM Child Practitioner

Thank you so much for all your support at Oxford Baby Bank. It has been an incredible resource for many of the families we work with who are in need of baby items for one reason or another. You have always gone above and beyond for us, which we are so grateful for. Not sure what we would do without you.

HR Child Practitioner

Such efficient service . Very grateful as always to you.

NH Midwife March2024

I don’t know what we would do without the baby bank.

LP Social Worker

8. FINANCIAL REVIEW

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

The Doris Field Charitable Trust

The City of Oxford Charity

ASDA Wheatley

The Pye Charitable Settlement

The Hamilton Trust

Mactaggart Trust

Andrew Birt

9.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. There has also been significant outlay on new cot mattresses, buggies, microwave bottle sterilisers, bottles, stairgates and coats. We regard these as essential stock items, not only owing to safety and hygiene

issues, but because we always want to be able to give a child a coat. We source as economically as we can.

Our fixed cost (rent) is £3,150 per annum. Based on the number of people we helped this financial year, that is an overhead of only £11.66 per family. We consider this to be a modest outlay per family helped, especially as many received hundreds of pounds worth of donated goods. The overhead per family is likely to be lower next year, as referral numbers continue to increase.

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

Signatories:

Emily MacKeith

Caroline Barry

Emma Poynton

Suzanne Lingard

Oxford Baby Bank: Accounting period 6 April 2023 to 5 April 2024

Oxford Baby Bank: Accounting period 6 April 2023 to 5 April 2024	Oxford Baby Bank: Accounting period 6 April 2023 to 5 April 2024	Oxford Baby Bank: Accounting period 6 April 2023 to 5 April 2024
SUMMARY TOTALS
INCOME IN PERIOD 5706 EXPENSES IN PERIOD 6151.56 BALANCE -445.56 BALANCE as at 6 APR 2022 9953.03 BALANCE as at 5 APR 2023 9507.47
INCOME
Date Type Person or Group Amount paid in 21-Jun-23 CR CHQ IN AT 403534 Asda Foundation 300 17-Nov-23 CR BARRY IC & CM PP FROM CARRIE (refunded mistaken purchase) 51 21-Nov-23 CR CHQ IN AT 403534 Doris Field Charitable Trust 750 13-Dec-23 CR THE CITY OF LTD XMAS GRANT City of Oxford Charity 1750 20-Dec-23 CR Gale Lauren DONATION 5 22-Dec-23 CR J A PYE SETTMT YY DONATION PYE 2500 17-Jan-24 CR Andrew Birt from Andrew Birt 100 21-Mar-24 CR MACTAGGART THIRD F MACTAGGART 3 FUND 250
	TOTAL	5706
EXPENSES
Date Type SUPPLIER ITEM DESCRIPTION AMOUNT PAID 10-Apr-23 DR TOTAL CHARGES TO 19MAR2023 Bank charges 5 17-Apr-23 SO COWLEY ROAD METHOD OXFORD BABY BANK Storage rental 262.5 26-Apr-23 ))) SAINSBURYS S/MKTS KIDLINGTON Clothing 25.5 10-May-23 ))) BOOTS 1848 SUMMERTOWN Wipes, toiletries, breast pads 16.2 11-May-23 DR TOTAL CHARGES TO 19APR2023 Bank charges 5 11-May-23 VIS WWW.JOHNLEWIS.COM 03456 049 049 Moses basket mattresses x5 60 17-May-23 SO COWLEY ROAD METHOD OXFORD BABY BANK Storage rental 262.5 23-May-23 BP Caroline M Barry VEHICLE MILEAGE Vehicle mileage 68.4 07-Jun-23 VIS WWW.ARGOS.CO.UK MILTON KEYNES Safety gates x6 132 10-Jun-23 DR TOTAL CHARGES TO 19MAY2023 Bank charges 5 12-Jun-23 ))) ALDI 77 775 OXFORD Bedding, Footwear, clothing 31.79

16-Jun-23	VIS	DNH*GO DADDY EUROP HAYES	Website	28.78
27-Jun-23	VIS	ASDA GEORGE COM LE LEEDS	Pushchairs x5	249.5
11-Jul-23	DR	TOTAL CHARGES TO 19JUN2023	Bank charges	5
25-Jul-23	VIS	ALDI 77 775 OXFORD	Wipes, nappies, muslins	36.84
25-Jul-23	)))	Hobbycraft Oxford	Office supplies	21.4
25-Jul-23	)))	IKEA LTD 185 MILTO BLETCHLEY	Changing mats, washcloths, beakers	39
27-Jul-23	VIS	SP FOR YOUR LITTLE TIPTON	Moses basket mattresses x7	53.13
01-Aug-23	VIS	WWW.JOHNLEWIS.COM 03456 049 049	Pushchairs x4	260
03-Aug-23	)))	JOHN LEWIS OXFORD	Clothing, bedding	38
10-Aug-23	DR	TOTAL CHARGES TO 19JUL2023	Bank charges	5.8
30-Aug-23	BP	COWLEY METHODIST OXFORDBABYBANK	Storage rental	262.5
31-Aug-23	VIS	SMYTHS TOYS GALWAY	Mattresses	89.97
10-Sep-23	DR	TOTAL CHARGES TO 19AUG2023	Bank charges	5
12-Sep-23	SO	COWLEY ROAD METHOD OXFORDBABYBANK	Storage rental	262.5
14-Sep-23	VIS	OnBuy.com OnBuy.com	Sterilisers x5	84.95
20-Sep-23	)))	HOME BARGAINS OXFORD	Towels, bedding	34.37
20-Sep-23	)))	ALDI 77 775 OXFORD	Nappies, wipes, books, bedding	44.59
05-Oct-23	)))	POUNDLAND LTD - 15 COWLEY	Nappies, wipes	11.5
09-Oct-23	)))	ALDI 77 775 OXFORD	Nappies, wipes	19.42
11-Oct-23	DR	TOTAL CHARGES TO 19SEP2023	Bank charges	5
12-Oct-23	SO	COWLEY ROAD METHOD OXFORDBABYBANK	Storage rental	262.5
13-Oct-23	VIS	BOOTS UK ECOMM BEESTON	Pushchair x2	72
13-Oct-23	VIS	WWW.JOHNLEWIS.COM 03456 049 049	Pushchair x4	260
13-Oct-23	VIS	DNH*GO DADDY EUROP HAYES	Website	140.52
17-Oct-23	)))	IKEA LTD 185 MILTO BLETCHLEY	Highchairs x2	38
26-Oct-23	VIS	WWW.ARGOS.CO.UK MILTON KEYNES	Safety gates x5	125
10-Nov-23	DR	TOTAL CHARGES TO 19OCT2023	Bank charges	5
13-Nov-23	SO	COWLEY ROAD METHOD OXFORDBABYBANK	Storage rental	262.5
27-Nov-23	VIS	WWW.ARGOS.CO.UK MILTON KEYNES	Pushchairs x5	203.95
06-Dec-23	)))	ALDI 77 775 OXFORD	Clothing, nappies, wipes	15.03
08-Dec-23	VIS	UNIQLO Oxford West Oxford	Clothing - winter coats	51.6
11-Dec-23	DR	TOTAL CHARGES TO 19NOV2023	Bank charges	5
12-Dec-23	SO	COWLEY ROAD METHOD OXFORDBABYBANK	Storage rental	262.5
20-Dec-23	)))	UNIQLO Oxford West Oxford	Clothing	40.4
08-Jan-24	)))	RYMAN 1172 OXFORD	Office supplies	11.48
10-Jan-24	DR	TOTAL CHARGES TO 19DEC2023	Bank charges	5.8

12-Jan-24 SO COWLEY ROAD METHOD OXFORDBABYBANK Storage rental 262.5 15-Jan-24 ))) UNIQLO Oxford West Oxford Clothing 25.4 16-Jan-24 ))) PRIMARK 440 OXFORD Clothing and dinner sets 8.6 31-Jan-24 VIS Mamma Mia Summerto Oxford Trustees AGM 122.36 10-Feb-24 DR TOTAL CHARGES TO 19JAN2024 Bank charges 5 12-Feb-24 SO COWLEY ROAD METHOD OXFORDBABYBANK Storage rental 262.5 19-Feb-24 VIS SMYTHS TOYS GALWAY Mattresses 134.95 22-Feb-24 ))) ALDI 77 775 OXFORD Sterilisers, wipes, children's books 58.4 26-Feb-24 VIS ASDA STORE 4442 OXFORD Clothing 93.5 01-Mar-24 ))) UNIQLO Oxford West Oxford Clothing 21.7 07-Mar-24 VIS SMYTHS TOYS GALWAY Mattresses 89.97 08-Mar-24 VIS WWW.ARGOS.CO.UK MILTON KEYNES Safety gates x5 125 12-Mar-24 SO COWLEY ROAD METHOD OXFORDBABYBANK Storage rental 262.5 12-Mar-24 DR TOTAL CHARGES TO 19FEB2024 Bank charges 5 20-Mar-24 ))) UNIQLO Oxford West Oxford Clothing 51.4 21-Mar-24 ))) PRIMARK 440 OXFORD Children's plates/cutlery sets 21 26-Mar-24 VIS Temu.com LONDON change mats x5 32.4 26-Mar-24 VIS Temu.com LONDON Change mats x10 27 26-Mar-24 VIS ROBERT DYAS ECOM WWW.ROBERTDYA Pushchairs x4 235.96 26-Mar-24 VIS IKEA LTD 185 MILTO BLETCHLEY Highchairs x6 114	12-Jan-24 SO COWLEY ROAD METHOD OXFORDBABYBANK Storage rental 262.5 15-Jan-24 ))) UNIQLO Oxford West Oxford Clothing 25.4 16-Jan-24 ))) PRIMARK 440 OXFORD Clothing and dinner sets 8.6 31-Jan-24 VIS Mamma Mia Summerto Oxford Trustees AGM 122.36 10-Feb-24 DR TOTAL CHARGES TO 19JAN2024 Bank charges 5 12-Feb-24 SO COWLEY ROAD METHOD OXFORDBABYBANK Storage rental 262.5 19-Feb-24 VIS SMYTHS TOYS GALWAY Mattresses 134.95 22-Feb-24 ))) ALDI 77 775 OXFORD Sterilisers, wipes, children's books 58.4 26-Feb-24 VIS ASDA STORE 4442 OXFORD Clothing 93.5 01-Mar-24 ))) UNIQLO Oxford West Oxford Clothing 21.7 07-Mar-24 VIS SMYTHS TOYS GALWAY Mattresses 89.97 08-Mar-24 VIS WWW.ARGOS.CO.UK MILTON KEYNES Safety gates x5 125 12-Mar-24 SO COWLEY ROAD METHOD OXFORDBABYBANK Storage rental 262.5 12-Mar-24 DR TOTAL CHARGES TO 19FEB2024 Bank charges 5 20-Mar-24 ))) UNIQLO Oxford West Oxford Clothing 51.4 21-Mar-24 ))) PRIMARK 440 OXFORD Children's plates/cutlery sets 21 26-Mar-24 VIS Temu.com LONDON change mats x5 32.4 26-Mar-24 VIS Temu.com LONDON Change mats x10 27 26-Mar-24 VIS ROBERT DYAS ECOM WWW.ROBERTDYA Pushchairs x4 235.96 26-Mar-24 VIS IKEA LTD 185 MILTO BLETCHLEY Highchairs x6 114	12-Jan-24 SO COWLEY ROAD METHOD OXFORDBABYBANK Storage rental 262.5 15-Jan-24 ))) UNIQLO Oxford West Oxford Clothing 25.4 16-Jan-24 ))) PRIMARK 440 OXFORD Clothing and dinner sets 8.6 31-Jan-24 VIS Mamma Mia Summerto Oxford Trustees AGM 122.36 10-Feb-24 DR TOTAL CHARGES TO 19JAN2024 Bank charges 5 12-Feb-24 SO COWLEY ROAD METHOD OXFORDBABYBANK Storage rental 262.5 19-Feb-24 VIS SMYTHS TOYS GALWAY Mattresses 134.95 22-Feb-24 ))) ALDI 77 775 OXFORD Sterilisers, wipes, children's books 58.4 26-Feb-24 VIS ASDA STORE 4442 OXFORD Clothing 93.5 01-Mar-24 ))) UNIQLO Oxford West Oxford Clothing 21.7 07-Mar-24 VIS SMYTHS TOYS GALWAY Mattresses 89.97 08-Mar-24 VIS WWW.ARGOS.CO.UK MILTON KEYNES Safety gates x5 125 12-Mar-24 SO COWLEY ROAD METHOD OXFORDBABYBANK Storage rental 262.5 12-Mar-24 DR TOTAL CHARGES TO 19FEB2024 Bank charges 5 20-Mar-24 ))) UNIQLO Oxford West Oxford Clothing 51.4 21-Mar-24 ))) PRIMARK 440 OXFORD Children's plates/cutlery sets 21 26-Mar-24 VIS Temu.com LONDON change mats x5 32.4 26-Mar-24 VIS Temu.com LONDON Change mats x10 27 26-Mar-24 VIS ROBERT DYAS ECOM WWW.ROBERTDYA Pushchairs x4 235.96 26-Mar-24 VIS IKEA LTD 185 MILTO BLETCHLEY Highchairs x6 114	12-Jan-24 SO COWLEY ROAD METHOD OXFORDBABYBANK Storage rental 262.5 15-Jan-24 ))) UNIQLO Oxford West Oxford Clothing 25.4 16-Jan-24 ))) PRIMARK 440 OXFORD Clothing and dinner sets 8.6 31-Jan-24 VIS Mamma Mia Summerto Oxford Trustees AGM 122.36 10-Feb-24 DR TOTAL CHARGES TO 19JAN2024 Bank charges 5 12-Feb-24 SO COWLEY ROAD METHOD OXFORDBABYBANK Storage rental 262.5 19-Feb-24 VIS SMYTHS TOYS GALWAY Mattresses 134.95 22-Feb-24 ))) ALDI 77 775 OXFORD Sterilisers, wipes, children's books 58.4 26-Feb-24 VIS ASDA STORE 4442 OXFORD Clothing 93.5 01-Mar-24 ))) UNIQLO Oxford West Oxford Clothing 21.7 07-Mar-24 VIS SMYTHS TOYS GALWAY Mattresses 89.97 08-Mar-24 VIS WWW.ARGOS.CO.UK MILTON KEYNES Safety gates x5 125 12-Mar-24 SO COWLEY ROAD METHOD OXFORDBABYBANK Storage rental 262.5 12-Mar-24 DR TOTAL CHARGES TO 19FEB2024 Bank charges 5 20-Mar-24 ))) UNIQLO Oxford West Oxford Clothing 51.4 21-Mar-24 ))) PRIMARK 440 OXFORD Children's plates/cutlery sets 21 26-Mar-24 VIS Temu.com LONDON change mats x5 32.4 26-Mar-24 VIS Temu.com LONDON Change mats x10 27 26-Mar-24 VIS ROBERT DYAS ECOM WWW.ROBERTDYA Pushchairs x4 235.96 26-Mar-24 VIS IKEA LTD 185 MILTO BLETCHLEY Highchairs x6 114
	TOTAL		6151.56