' itttLe StarJ
Trustees. Report and
Accounts unaudited
For the year ended
31 December 2024
Little Stars Baby Bank
Registered Charity No. 1191130
www.littlestarscharity.org
UNDRAISING
REGULATOR

Little Stars Baby Bank
Financial statements for the period ended 31 December 2024
Reference and administration details
Charity registration number
1191130
Registered office addres5
Little Stars
C/0 Alco
Maesbury
Road
Oswestry
SYIO 8NR
Accountants
TCA Ishrewsburyl LLP Third
Floor
21 St Mary's Street
Shrew5bury
Shropshire
SYI IED
Bankers
CAF Bank
25 Kings Hill Avenue West
Malling
Kent
ME19 4JQ
HSBC
127 High Street
Hounslow
Middlesex
TW3 IQP
Trustees
l Groves - lappointed 27, March 20251 Chair
C Williams- Vice Chair
S Bates- Secretary
A Beeston (appointed 12th June 20241- Treasurer
J Seabright (appointed 7th December 20241
E Shaw lappointed 28, March 20251
A Garmston (Resigned Il" August 20251
D Korta5 (Resigned 20, March 20251

Table of
CONTENTS
01
Trustees. report
16
Independent examiners
report
17
Receipts and payments
account
18
Statement of funds

Tn￿tees,AnnUa1Rep0rt
The Trustees of Little Stars Baby Bank are pleased to present their report and the
financial statements for the period ended 31 December 2024.
CXJR VISION
/ MISSION
Little Starfs vision is to ensure babies and children
across Shropshire have access to the essentials
they need at every stage of childhood. Our mission
is to alleviate the emotional stress and financial
pressures many families face in a county where
over 26,000 children are living in povety, and 70/0 of
those children are from working families. We believe
that every family, no matter how complex their
situation, should be shown kindness and support at
the time they need it most.
LITTLE STARS
01

Staten￿￿t0￿Pub1lCBelleflt
Our service benefits children offamilies who, for various reasons, do not
have access to the basic essentials that every child deserves. We deliver
bundles to various referral partners around the couniy of Shropshire. In
delivering our services wefurther benefii the public, aslollows..
Fumllles: Providing essentials hos a significant impact on
the family, the service helps keeps babies and young
children clothed, clean and safe. This not only helps to
remove financial pressure, but also alleviate the emotional
stress by providing the basic provisions.
Wlder communTty.' The local community are able to
donate their pre-loved baby items which not only helps the
family who are receiving those items but it also reduces
landfill waste and helps the environmental impact.
Referral partners: Professionals now have a service within
the county they can use after a visit to a family they
know need the basics.
Due to the kind support of fundraisers and donors, Little Stars is
able to contribute and supplement the bundles with
brand new equipment needed that cannot be donated as pre-
loved. Voluntary income enables Little Stars to continue
the work and develop the service. In defining our charitable
programme, we have regard for the Charity Commissions
general guidance on public benefit.
LITTLE STARS
02

Stn￿ture, governance and
e charity 1.% a Charitable liicorporatioii Organi.satioll ("CIO") wliich
was registered with the Charity Commission un 3rd .September 2020
nd is governed by a consiitulion as a Foundaiion CIO.
Melhoits used to recThit
and apw)int new In￿t
New Trustees are recruited openly in line with
Little Stars Baby Bank's Trustee Recruitment
Policy. Trustees receive a full induction to the
charity and a set of key documents, to enable
them to gain the required information to fulfil
their role.
An annual skills analysis ensures the Trustees
offer a suitable range of knowledge and skills
to support the charity. Where a skills gap is
identified we aim to seek Trustees to bridge this
gap.
The Board will aim to adhere to the principles of
the Charity Governance Code for Small
Charities. This is an ongoing process, and we
are working towards fulfilling all aspects of the
code.
iecttves
The general aims and objectives of Little Stars are to support families living
and working within Shropshire by:
orking alongside various organisations to provide relief of financial hardship
r families who cannot afford the essential babylchildren items needed.
rovide quality items which not only helps the family receiving them but
also the environment impact.
iving help to pregnant women with essentials needed after giving birth.
LITTLE STARS
03

Activities
Our Bundles
We provide essential items for every
stage of childhood as our service
encompasses a baby bank, tots to
teen support, and a school uniform
bank. We take pre-loved items
generously
donated
by
the
community and compile unique
bundles, which are supplemented
with new equipment and basic
hygiene products that are then gifted
to the families referred to us. Our
recently launched shop provides an
opportunity for older children and
pregnant ladies to browse and select
their own clothing that they have
been referred to us for. This fosters
greater independence and provides
them a dignified and personalised
shopping experience.
Our Partnerships
Since 2020 we have built strong partnerships with
those working with the most vulnerable in our county,
this has led to a deeper understanding of our county
and the needs of local communities.
Our support extends beyond poverty alleviation,
reaching children fleeing domestic abuse, those
removed from their homes due to neglect, and newly
arrived refugees. As we understand that not everyone
would like to ask for help when they need IL our
Community hub work offers parents and carers the
opportunity to discreetly receive our support through
access to essential toiletries for themselves and their
children, free of charge.
LITTLE STARS
04

Achievements
and Performance
During 2024 we helped 1333 chlldr•n be provided with
the childhood essentials they needed.
57 pregnant women with the toiletries they all deserve
after giving birth as well as maternity wear.
246 adults with essential toiletries.
Our core services have experienced significant increase
in demand year-on-year:
2021-2022: 59Y. increase
2022-2023: 93°A increase
2023-2024: 176 /0 increase (the largest increase)
This demonstrates a consistent upward trend ond
indicates the significant need for our charity.
Our community hub work has been vital within the areas
we support as offers parents and carers the opportunity
to discreetly receive our support through access to
essential toiletries for themselves and their children, free
of charge. We have also used these hubs for School
Uniform pop up events.
This year thanks to National Lottery Cost of Living funding we were able to create a new
role within the Little Stars team for a Marketing and Fundraising Co-ordinator. Chantal
joined the Little Stars team in January 2024 and over the course of the year was able to
increase our social followers, create a newsletter keeping our supporters informed and
communicote regularly the work of our Charity. This has proven a vital role for the
growth of Little Stars, as our supporters increased from the public to corporate support,
which has helped the visibility of the important work we do.
LITTLE STARS
05

The opening of Little Stars Shop. A place that not only offers affordable clothing options
but also serves as a vital hub for the community. With a focus on sustainability and
community support, the store sells excess stock that we cannot utilise for our core services,
ensuring that these items find new homes while contributing to our mission.
The shop fulfils three goals.
Flrstly. offers a welcoming spoce for those who hove been referred to us and giving them
the opportunity to browse and choose the clothing themselves. This fosters greater
independence and provides them a dignified and personalised shopping experience.
Secondly. it allows us to find new homes for wonderful items that wouldn't fit into our
standard bundles, this gives families and pregnant women seeking good quality,
affordable clothing for their children and themselves a fantastic option.
LITTLE STARS
06

Lastly, every purchase directly supports Little Stars, mission, creating a vital revenue
stream ensuring we can continue providing essential items to families in need of our
support across Shropshire. This wouldn't have been possible without the incredible
support of The Darwin centre team.
Kevin Lockwood, Centre Manager of The Darwin, said, "Since I met the team at Little
stars through my involvement in the Shrewsbury Business Chamber, the end goal has
always been to try and help them secure a presence and shop within The Darwin. This
new store will be an important resource for our community to find affordable and
nearly new items for themselves and family, while raising funds for an incredible
cause."
Fundlng Irom the Natlonal Lottery enabled us to employ a shop manager and we
welcomed Mel to the team in November 2024. Mel has already been making o positive
impact since starting her role.
LITTLE STARS
06

Our Corporate Partnerships
Aico's continued support of the
charity was recognised at the Better
Society Awards 2024 winning the
award for Partnership with a local
charity. This moment recognised how
important
relationships
between
Corporates and Charity's are and how
it can help the Charity grow.
p4rthÈtJhlp￿￿l
L4rthlch*rk¥
y¢g(&1
start Tech are a valued corporate
supporter. They not only provide us with
our cyber security package and assist
us with all our IT needs, they also raise
our profile, come to our events and even
have a Tuck Shop where all money is
donated to Little Stars.
Liquid Fleet raised £5000 for Little
Stars by hosting a raffle with some
incredible
prizes
and
attended
ClubFest to help raise awareness of
the charity.
LITTLE STARS
07

CL
Claremont Social Tap: In September
Claremont Social Tap donated £2000 to
Little Stars from their community funds.
Corporate Volunteers
We have had more corporate volunteers providing
support and helping us sort all the wonderful donations we receive. Over the
year they gave us 168 hours of time, thank you to WSP, Aico, Start Tech,
Marches Academy Trust and Practice Plan.
LIThLE STARS
08

Our School Partnerships
St Wlnefrodes Our partnership with St. Winefride's
School had a brilliant first year. It began with an
Easter collection of essential baby items, pre-loved
clothing, and toys, then they joined in our first-ever
Wear Stars 4 Little Stars day. The Headteacher and
some of the parents also supported us by
attending our Halloween Ball, and in December the
school participated with a Reverse Advent
Calendar to support our Santa's Little Stars
campaign. We're looking forward to continuing
and growing this partnership in the year ahead.
.liUie&ora
Blrehfield Children at Birchfield School raised
£60 for Little Stars by hosting a festive Hot
Chocolate Stand. The pupils chose to support a
children's charity, showing inspiring kindness
and community spirit at just 4 and 5 years old.
Hh.
Katie's Kids Nursery
Katie's Kids Nursery supported Little Stars at
both Easter and Christmas, donating Easter
eggs and treat bags, and later raising an
incredible £265 through their Christmas party
fundraising. The funds helped us purchase
essential items like highchairs, stair gates,
developmental toys, and blankets-already
making a real difference for families across
Shropshire.
West Felton
West Felton CE School and
Nursery held a raffle during the
Make Music Day in June and
donated £80 to Little Stars.
ii
LITTLE STARS
07

2024 Fundraisers
Musical Bingo. our signatur8 aV8nt saw new faces walcoméd to our fundraiser 8njoying
an unforgettable evening of spontaneous a cappella performances and lots of fun and
laughter. All of this fun raised an increcible £1384.70.
Luknl
Internatlonal Womens Doy Regular supporter of the charity Finn, held a walk on
International womens day to raise money for Little Stars. This is the third year Finn has
raised money, we couldn't be more grateful for her support.
LITTLE STARS
09

2024 Fundraisers
The Crafternoon Club ran a wonderful Easter Bunny Hunt in Bridgnorth and
raised an amazing £200.26 for Little Stars. Their creative efforts and generous
support made a real difference, and we were delighted to meet with them to say
thank you in person.
th
Our first-ever "Wear Stars 4 Llttle Stars" fundraiser took place on the 28 June.
We created this event as a unique and fun way to bring awareness to our cause
while raising funds to help us continue our vital work supporting children and
families across Shropshire.
People donned themed clothing and accessories and for the the first event we
raised £357
0624
ooIITfLP
Ile Star&
28.06.24
LITTLE STARS
09

2024 Fundraisers
Halloween Ball our ingural ball sponsored by Alco and Start Tech
The evening featured a delicious three-course meal with a Halloween twist!
Entertainment was at the heart of the night, with a live band and DJ keeping the
dance floor buzzing. Our talented tarot and palm readers added a mystical touch,
staying busy all evening with guests eager to hear their fortunes. It was a fantastic
blend of fun and mystery, with something for everyone to enjoy.
% kir41
The evenlng ralsed the proflle for Llttle stars and ralsed £6000.
LITTLE STARS
09

Santa's Little Stars 2024
The Darwin Centre once again supported us with having donation drop off points
within the centre during all of November but this year we were able to host our
Christmas Hub in the Centre which made it extra special.
The volunteers came out in force and over two days we had volunteers from
WSP, Shrewsbury Colleges Group, Aico, Lanyon Bowdler, TCA, PWC, and BT.
Between them they gave 222 hours of volunteer time and wrapped over 2000
gifts.
The gifts were generously donated by the general public during November but
also on the day when they saw what we were doing and went and brought gifts
to donate. We also had multiple companies donate, huge thank you to Croud,
PipeKit, Komplex Group, Samuel Wood, Aico, Severnfields medical practice, MOT
Mcdonalds, Primark and Practice Plan.
We also received generous donations from two local businesses in December,
Different Dog, which donated £140.94 and Unicorn Fire and Safety which
donated £262 towards our Christmas Campaign.
LITTLE STARS
10

4>
We supported 584 ¢hlldren and each of them rocelved multlpl• glfts each.
Theatre Severn once again supported us and we were able to be at the end of three
pantomime shows to collect money for Little Stars, the public were extremely generous
and we raised £635 across the three shows.
LITTLE STARS

OurImpact
We
work clo.sely witli our referral partners to gatlierfeedback and ca.se.%tudies
liat we can understand tlie impact our work. It also helps us to ideiilify
areas where we con make chaiiges and improve the services we offer.
"The overall impact this could have had on the mental health of that family would have
been detriment to their wellbeing and that of the child at that time. The importance of
organisations such as Little Stars means the difference between someone developing
heightened anxiety and depression regarding their financial situation, to seeing a light at
the end of the tunnel and being able to ensure their infant is provided for in th8 most
financially challenging of times." Perinatal Nurse
"The case involved police removing four children under 7
from their home as a matter of urgency. There was very
little in the home in the way of belongings or clothes for
the children so they hod nothing with them, and you
were able to provide not only clothes, noppies and
toiletries for all of them, but also little gifts that I know
they oll loved to receivel
To be able to phone you up in this crisis, and have the
items delivered to us in less than 4 hours was amazing,
and I know that all of the team who have worked with
this family today are so appreciative of the hard work
you must have gone to in order to provide such
personalised packages for these children. Please know
that it has made a difference to these children during a
time of crisis for them." Social Worker
'WITHOUT THE SERVICE THE MOST AT-RISK MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY WOULD BE LEFT
WITHOUT THE MOST BASIC ITEMS NEEDED TO ENSURE THEIR CHILDREN ARE CLOTHED AND HAVE
APPROPRIATE ITEMS TO ENSURE THEY ARE SAFE AND CAN THRIVE.. SOCIAL WORKER, SHROPSHIRE
COUNCIL.
LITTLE STARS
12

Acknowledgments
Little Stars have been delighted with the support of so many wonderful families,
individuals, and organisations.
Thank you to the families and individuals who donate their pre-loved baby and children
clothing for Little Stars to pass onto other families in need of a helping hand.
Thank you to all the individuals who have donated money to Little Stars and to Morrisons
customers who buy the pick-up packs that keep us stocked up with nappies, wipes and
toiletries.
Our Funders
At the beginning of the year we received a generous grant of £4.000 from tho AXIS
Foundation to strengthen our Community Hubs Project. This funding is specifically
allocated to ensure a year's supply of essential baby items like nappies, wipes, and
toiletries. Reflecting on the year, this funding was critical for those supplies after we saw a
decrease in donations of the essential items over the course of the year, this funding
ensured we could still supply families with the basic essentials.
Milllchope Foundatlon continue their yearly support and it was wonderful to invite Val to
the newly opened shop, showing them the growth of the charity and what their support
means to us at Little Stars.
Tosco Communlty Grant - Stronger Starts campaign
Little Stors extends sincere appreciation to Tesco and their customers for their support.
The £IOOO played a crucial role in our mission to provide essential support to families in
need.
We were awarded a £5.000 grant from Th• Haberdashers. Company, which helped us
support families in Telford and Wrekin and Albrighton. This funding really helped us as we
have seen an increase in support needed and use of our service within that part of the
county.
A £500 grant from the Neighbourly Spring Fund 2024, was a joint initiative with Aldi
aimed at providing emergency support to families in need. This timely funding we were
able to direct towards our baby bank and community hub services, as we were dealing
with a surge in requests for assistance.
We were delighted to have been awarded a £2.000 grant from the Albert Hunt Trust.
LITTLE STARS
13

Futureplans
As we look toward the newflnanclal year
our focus will be:
Continue our core service and support as many children
as possible in need of childhood essentials.
Develop our fundraising strategy to have a calendar of
events, which we will build on year on year.
Develop our corporate partners and introduce our new corporate pack. This
includes in-kind support services.
Attend more events to promote our work and to gain more support for our cause.
Grow the Trustee board for our next stage of growth and building a sustainable
charity for years to come.
We are committed to continuing the growth of our Community Shop, building on
our first year's experience and deep understanding of where we can improve.
Improving accessibility for families with varying schedules which will make it
easier for referral agencies to arrange appointments providing more opportunity
for older children and pregnant ladies to browse and select their own clothing
that they have been referred to us for .
Continue to build our volunteer base, with opportunities for stock sorters and
shop helpers.
LITTLE STARS
14

## _**Financial review and reserves policy**_ 

The Charity has had another successful year, generating income of £86,995. Expenditure for the year was £91,886, leaving £64,002 in monetary funds carried forward. £30,828 of this is restricted funding, as set out on page 18. 

The trustees agree to hold free reserves in the region of £26,000. This is to ensure that there is sufficient funds to cover the running costs of the charity for 3 months. Trustees have taken possible risks into account and considered the loss of gifted storage space. 


The Trustees agree to continuously monitor this as the charity grows and develops to ensure the amount held in reserves mirrors the level of activity. 

The free reserves of the Charity at the year end, calculated as unrestricted funds less fixed assets and designated funds, were £29,672. 

## _**Basis of Accounting**_ 

The accounts of the charity have been prepared on a receipts and payments basis in accordance with charity regulations. 

This report was approved by the Board and signed on its behalf by Ian Groves. 

Signed by �� Ian Groves - Chair Trustee 25 September 2025 

LITTLE STARS 

15 



Little Stars Baby Bank
Independent Examlners Report for the year ended 31 December 2024
I report to the charfty trustees on my examinatlon of the accounts of the charsty far the period ended
31 De￿rnber 2024 which are set out on page5 17 to IB.
Thls report Is made Solely to the charlty's trustees, as a body, In accordance with sett4on 145 of the Charitie5 Act 2011 and
regulations made undèr sectlon 154 ef that Act. My work h35 been undertaken $0 that I mlght state to the charity'5 tru5tee5 thcse
mattels l arn required to stale to them in an Independent Examiner5 Report and for no other purpose, To the fullest extent
perrnllted by law. I do not accept or as5urne re5pon51bility ID anyonE oiher than the charity and the charlt(s trustees as a body, for
mywerk or for thi5 report.
Respon61bllltlesand ba515 ol report
As the charlty's trustees you are responslble for the preparatlon of the accounts In accordance wlth the requlrernent$ of ihe
Charltles Act 20111.the Act'l
I rtport In respe£t of my examination of the charity'5 O¢COUnts Caffled out under section 145 of the Att and In cèrrylnq out my
examlnatlon I have followed all the appll¢able Dlrectlons glven by the Charity Commlsslon under sectlon 14SISllbl of the Act.
lThd•p*ndent Examln•r's statsment
I have completed rnVe￿amifiatloft. l eonfSrm that ne materlal matter5 have ¢ttme to my èttentlon In connection wlth the
e¥•mlnation givln8 me cause to belleve that in any ffjalerial respett..
accountlna records We￿ not kept In respect of the charity a5 requlred by sectlon 130 of the Act.. or
the accounts do not accord wlth those r?cord$.
I have no concerns and hove corn• a¢ro$$ no other matters In connectlen with the exominatlon to whlch attention Should be drawn
in thi5 report in order to tnable a proper under5tandlni of the Jccounts tts be rÈached.
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C L Moelwyn.Wllll•mi Bsc FCA
TCA IShrew5buryl LLP
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Shrew5bury
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16

lItt￿St￿r5B1knyB￿nk
Finan¢ièlst*emetttsfoithÈy¢arehd¢d iiDe¢ethbei2024
ftÉcelptsand pa¥ThÈntsa(count
Uniestilcted
R•strlrted
Total
Total
2024
2014
2023
Rere
GraThts
DonationSandf￿ndIaISIngI￿tO￿￿
2.7W
47.920
50,62
21,386
43.657
29.539
8anklfjtere5treceived
140
140
63
9.720
5.129
9.720
5.IZ9
29,07S
47,92
ÉÉ,yys
74.740
Payménts
ayaritrble4irtlvitle5
Purrh¥5e51or5ervi(e u5er5
1.380
5,664
2.99Z
Cattsoffvttdralsthg
Fundrai51ll8eventsand pro￿0110￿
Halloween Ball
97Q
970
1.794
7.3
7,30D
22.589
42,831
65,420
40,721
S94
49
1.675
I.YY2
ovntsn
618
gD
4.965
46D
166
428
594
Mark&tsng
854
854
474
474
61
80
18
98
78
1,629
1,023
339
£.$É6
339
528
Sundry
291
291
244
2.093
40,803
51,OB3
91,886
67,261
NptlPiyrnent511Rereipt5- uDre5thrtedlvnd5
7.478
tashand baThk baIaffttÈ>b￿U¥htf0rward
34,W2
33,9YI
61.415
33.174
30.826
61002
68.893

## **Little Stars Baby Bank Financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024 Statement of funds** 

|||||**2024**||2023||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||||£||£||
|**Monetar assets**||||||||
|Current account||||**58,364**||68,818||
|HSBC account||||**5,568**||||
|Paypal account||||**70**|||75|
|||||**64,002**||68,893||
|**Funds**||**Balance at**||||**Balance at**||
|||**1st January 2024**|**Income**|**Expenditure**|**Transfers**|**31st December**|**2024**|
|Unrestricted Funds||34,902|35,417|(40,647)||29,672||
|Designated Funds|Santa's Little Stars||3,658|(156)|||3,502|
|Restricted Funds||||||||
|Shop|||22,000|(2,691)||19,309||
|Other restricted fund - Baby Bank Service||5,043|7,100|(3,188)|||8,955|
|Salaries Fund||6,517||(6,517)||||
|The National Lottery Community Fund||18,431|13,820|(32,251)||||
|Community Hubs||4,000|1,000|{2,436)|||2,564|
|Garfield Weston|||4,000|{4,000)||||
|||33,991|**47,920**|**{51,083)**||**30,828**||
|||68,893|**86,995**|**{91,886)**||**64,002**||



The Designated Fund Santa's Little Stars is for our Christmas campaign. In this campaign, people donate money instead of buying a gift, and we use those funds to purchase gifts for children when our donations fall short. 

The Other restricted fund relates to restricted funding provided by The Postcode Lottery, Tesco and The National Lottery to be used for the baby bank service. 

The Salaries Fund relates to restricted funding provided by The Postcode Lottery, Tesco and The National Lottery to be used for wages and salaries. 

The National Lottery Community Fund relates to project work until the end of March 2024. This includes salaries, overheads and volunteer costs. 

Community Hubs Fund -This fund relates to our community hubs project, where we are out in communities, helping families with the essential nappies, wipes and toiletries for children and adults, which they can access whilst they are having support from family practictioners and the Early Help teams. 

The Shop fund relates to funding for a Shop Manager role for 12 months and Shop project. 

The Garfield Weston funds were restricted to cover our core costs. These funds were used specifically to pay for two part-time salaries and to purchase new items that are used to supplement our pre-loved bundles. 

18