https://www.theforester.co.uk/news/the-forest-of-dean-baby-bank-a-crucial-community-service-918989
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At the heart of everything we do is a simple aim: to make sure babies and young children have the essentials they need, and that parents and carers feel supported during incredibly challenging times. That is why partnerships like this matter so much. They do not just help us continue our work; they allow us to act quickly, compassionately, and with confidence when a family turns to us for help.

The Parry Family Charitable Foundation is a small, independent grant-making foundation that supports energetic and highly effective charities making a meaningful difference to people’s lives. Their approach is thoughtful and personal, with a clear focus on backing organisations that are practical, responsive, and deeply connected to the communities they serve. For a small charity like ours, that kind of support is especially valuable, because it recognises not only the immediate need in front of us, but also the care and commitment involved in meeting it well.

We first met with Nick Parry and Hannah in early February, and that conversation marked the beginning of an encouraging new relationship. It led to our first grant from the Foundation, awarded to support one of the most urgent and essential areas of our work: the purchase of infant formula. This was an incredibly timely gift. With rising prices and continued financial uncertainty, more families are reaching out to us for support, many of them for the first time. Having formula available on hand means we can respond straight away, without delay, when a family is in crisis or facing impossible decisions about how to provide for their baby.

The importance of this support becomes even clearer when we look at the scale of demand. Last year alone, we assisted more than 600 families and provided support on over 1,100 occasions, helping with a wide range of baby essentials, clothing, and practical items. Among those families were many who needed help accessing formula, often at a time when they were already under severe financial pressure. For parents of very young babies, formula is not a luxury or an optional extra; it is a vital necessity, and the ability to provide it quickly can make a real and immediate difference.

In 2025, we spent around £1,400 on formula alone, already a significant increase compared with previous years. However, the pace of need in 2026 has grown even more sharply. In just the first three months of this year, from January to March, we had already spent more than £600 on formula purchases. That rapid rise shows just how many families are struggling, and how quickly costs are mounting for organisations like ours that are committed to meeting those needs. The grant from the Parry Family Charitable Foundation is therefore doing far more than covering a cost on paper. It is helping us maintain a reliable stock of formula, respond with dignity and urgency, and continue being a dependable source of support for local families when they need us most.

We are particularly encouraged that the Parry Family Charitable Foundation places such a strong emphasis on relationship-building as well as grant-making. That shared value resonates deeply with us. Our work is rooted in trust, compassion, and community connection, and we know that meaningful partnerships are built in exactly the same way. We are therefore not only grateful for this initial support, but also genuinely excited about the opportunity to build a lasting relationship with the Foundation in the months and years ahead.
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To Nick Parry, Hannah, and everyone at the Foundation, thank you for believing in our work and for investing in the wellbeing of the families we support. Your generosity is already having a tangible impact, and we are so pleased to begin this partnership together.

We want to thank Dawn Ruck of Tesco Lydney for these amazing donations! We will be able to help so many families who are struggling right now!
​Thank you!

We have been so generously supported this year that we felt compelled to do a massive thank you to everyone who fundraised for us. From sponsored climbs to sponsored walks, raffles, bingo nights, and donation drives, monthly gifts, recycling initiatives and the highly publicised Lorraine’s Big Baby Bank Appeal with Morrisons. The love and support we have received galvanises us to keep on doing a work we are honoured to carry out.

1. BASF Cinderford
2. Hannah Elizabeth photography
3. Aaron Freeman
4. FOD Crematorium
5. Lorraine’s Big Baby Bank Appeal and Morrisons
6. Teddy Challenge Competition with Bream C of E Primary
7. Forest New Life Church
8. The Severnside Stitchers
9. Donations raised at the Lydney Community Event
10. Jenner House of Dene Magna School
11. The Netherend Inn
12. Berryhill Primary School
13. British Legion
14. Fountain Inn
15. Every donation we have received from the public – meaning YOU!

While we have also been supported by large organisations and grant funders this year - for which are very grateful and wouldn’t be able to cover our overheads, such as rent, electricity,  insurance and delivery costs, or buying large amounts of new socks and underwear, school uniform and clothes when donated stock is not adequate, it is the donations and fundraising efforts of the community that comforts and strengthens us as we continue to hold out a safety net for any family facing hard times or wanting to reduce waste by taking advantage of swapping out children’s clothes for the next size up.
Our volunteers go to work on their ‘day’ with joy and determination. We are a small team who get an enormous amount done because of how much this work personally means to us. Until the day Baby Banks are no longer needed, we will be here, answering the phone, emails, messages, sorting, packing and delivering for any family who needs help.
 
From all of us at the Baby Bank Team, thank you