Celebrating our new workshop

We are so pleased to be able to share details of our new workshop in Reigate, a second site on Albert Road North and a significant enabler in Stripey Stork’s mission to support families across Surrey and Croydon. This expansion not only addresses our pressing need for additional space but also enhances our capacity to combat issues such as bed poverty – a critical problem affecting many children in our community.

As our service has expanded over the last couple of years, so did our need for space. After securing a National Lottery Reaching Communities grant to ‘Spread Our Wings’, it became evident that to achieve our ambitious goals and assist the increasing number of families in Surrey and Croydon, we required more room than initially anticipated. The warehouse adjacent to our current location in Reigate became available, presenting a promising and rare opportunity. However, the space needed substantial renovations, and even with favourable terms from our existing landlord, it represented an increase in operational costs.

We were going to need some help from our friends to make this one happen…

Unum: As their Dorking office Charity of the Year partner for 2024 and 2025, Unum’s Executive Committee have seen our work and its impact in action, and they recognised the potential of this opportunity. Their CEO, Mark Till was so committed to our cause that Unum generously covered the rent for the first year, allowing us to proceed with confidence. This substantial contribution provided the financial stability to embark on this ambitious project. We could sign the lease and get the keys.

Now we needed to make it safe to work in.

Surrey County Council: A grant from County Councillor Victor Lewanski, through the Your Fund Surrey scheme, enabled us to undertake essential work, including installing an EV charger for our electric van, a fire safety system, a fire door, racking, workbenches and office furniture. This support was crucial in ensuring the warehouse met all safety standards and was equipped for our operations.

We were ready to welcome our volunteers.

SMP Alliance: Aligning with our strategic aim to make our work accessible and inclusive, the SMP Alliance who are carrying out the National Emergency Retrofit Project on the M25 between junction 5 and 7, arranged for their colleagues  from WJ Group to clearly mark our parking bays ensuring we were using the spaces safely and to best effect. This included the creation of an accessible parking bay and clear space for our electric van. They also collaborated with Core Highways to provide a covered bike rack for our volunteers who cycle. These enhancements ensure that our facilities are welcoming and accessible to all members of our community.

Thank you so much for giving us the opportunity to be able to support your amazing cause, it was really great for us to be able to leave something to support your work in the community for years to come

Carly Robson, Social Impact Manager

We had come so far so quickly, but there was still so much to do to have a space for our volunteers to make full productive use of the space.

Overbury: In an impressive pro bono effort, Overbury completed the transformation of the warehouse into a fully functional and inclusive workshop in just six weeks. The collaboration began through a connection made at the Celtic Contractors golf day, where our Chief Executive had the chance to share her vision for the space.

Overbury’s team mobilised quickly, assembling a network of skilled subcontractors which included ADS, Bancroft, Berkeley Projects, Loughtons Flooring, Formation Lighting, ProAV, Taylor Made Joinery and Celtic Contractors to execute a comprehensive renovation. The work included:

• Installing insulated roofing, LED lighting and a new heating system with all the electrical work and plumbing to support the changes.
• Refurbishing offices (including new ceilings, flooring and audio-visual facilities to support video conferencing).
• Installing a kitchen, and WCs (including a fully accessible WC).
• Creating a series of custom workbenches, cot storage, and a bespoke buggy-cleaning station (affectionately called the ‘sink of dreams’ by volunteers).

The work exceeded our expectations, and the site was handed back to us just before Christmas, less than six months since we received the keys. We took the chance to thank the contractors when they completed the work.

The journey from a near-derelict space to a fully operational workshop in such a short period was nothing short of remarkable. We’re still pinching ourselves. The warehouse, though offering potential, required extensive renovations to meet our operational needs and safety standards. The collaborative efforts of our partners were pivotal in this transformation.

With this new facility, we are better equipped to meet the growing demand for our services. Our goal is to have the capacity to respond to 20,000 requests annually by 2026, ensuring that every child in Surrey and Croydon has access to the essential items they need. The expanded space allows us to increase our storage capacity, streamline our sorting and distribution processes, and accommodate more volunteers, thereby amplifying our impact.

The key aim of the workshop is to have the space to work on large equipment like buggies, prams, highchairs, cribs and cots. Bed poverty is a distressing reality for many families in our community. In our review of 2024 blog we highlighted that across the year we provided 916 safer places to sleep. Our community generously donates pre-loved moses baskets, cots and cot beds, which our dedicated volunteers inspect to meet high safety standards, clean thoroughly, and pair with new mattress to ensure safer and comfortable sleep for the babies and children we support.

In December 2024, we participated in our first Big Give Christmas Challenge, focusing on providing safe and warm sleep items to children in need. This initiative was a response to the significant rise in requests for such essentials, reflecting our commitment to addressing bed poverty in our community. This successful campaign gave our funding for this work a welcome boost and will help us keep the space well stocked across 2025.

This achievement would not have been possible without the amazing support of our partners, volunteers and the community who believed in our vision for the space. We extend our deepest thanks to everyone involved in making this vision a reality.

The Stripey Stork team knew that the best way to thank everyone involved was to put the space to immediate good use. We’re already doing that, and the impact is clear. This calendar year alone (as at 28^th February 2025) we have distributed 204 safer places for children to sleep; many of which were checked in the cot workshop area and all made possible by this transformation. That’s the difference this amazing space is already making.

If you have a moses basket, cot or cot bed to donate, please ensure it meets current British safety standards and book a donation slot or contact us on donate@stripeystork.org.uk to donate it. Our team will check it and get it ready for a family who needs it.

If the work in this space sounds appealing and you’d like to volunteer, you can find all the information you need about volunteering on our website.

If you work for a company that would like to sponsor or support our work to address bed poverty, please contact our team on partnerships@stripeystork.org.uk.

For a closer look at our new facility and to meet some of the partners who contributed, we invite you to watch this video prepared by our friends at Overbury: