Does your child attend a playgroup or school which may be able to support us? Can you and your colleagues wear stripes for the day? Are you associated with a local business who may be interested in running a ‘stripey’ promotion? Please email partnerships@stripeystork.org.uk to discuss how we can support your efforts.

We can supply you with printed posters (please email communications@stripeystork.org.uk) or you can download here.

Help us to spread the word, so we can make this even bigger and better than last year, and achieve our target of £1500.

The funds raised on the day will be used throughout the year to buy new items needed to complement the pre-loved items included in our children’s clothing packs – such as underwear, socks and nightwear- and complete our donations. We want the recipients to feel like they are receiving a gift and not a handout, and including such items in new, clean condition helps us achieve this.

These essential items make such a difference, so please wear stripes on 20th June and remember to tell your friends, family and colleagues about our campaign. You can show your support by downloading our Stripes4Stripey supporter’s profile frame for Facebook and/or Twitter using this Twibbon link.

You can donate online here (on the day): http://www.localgiving.org/appeal/stripes4stripey2019

Please remember to share your stripey photos on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #Stripes4Stripey2019. We had such great fun last year seeing all the photos come flooding in. From local councillors tweeting stripes from their meetings, to office bake-offs and our mascot Stripey doing a mini-roadshow with some of our corporate partners.

We also had lots of Stripey visitors at HQ on the day, as they came to admire our Stripey décor and join us in indulging in some stripey doughnuts. We even had photos coming in from foreign lands – our loyal supporters not letting being out of the country get in their way of supporting Stripey Stork.

How far can we spread the stripes this year? What will you do? The skies the limit, as long as it’s stripey of course!
Thank you #TeamStork for your support!

The post Wear #Stripes4Stripey on 20th June 2019 appeared first on Stripey Stork.

Our April wish list is now here, along with donation days. Please take a look at the items we need, and if they match up with items you are looking to re-home, we can pass them on to families we are supporting.

Please book a donation slot. We operate a booking system so that we can manage the flow of donations. If you cannot make one of our donation days or the slots are filled, please email donate@stripeystork.org.uk to make alternative arrangements. 

Book a slot

There are some items that we can’t accept due to safety concerns, lack of space or little demand. Please take a look of the full list of items we can and cannot accept. 

Items we can/cannot accept

• Please ensure that any clothing is freshly washed, sorted by age and gender and labelled. For cots, prams and other equipment please ensure that the item is cleaned and includes all fixings or spare parts in a labelled bag and where possible include a manual. 

Our warehouse address: 51a Albert Road North, Reigate, Surrey, RH2 9EL.

Any queries please email donate@stripeystork.org.uk.

Thank you for your continued support – we need your lovely donations to keep supporting families in our community.

APRIL 2026

Girls clothing, shoes & coats 

• 0-3months/newborn
• 9-12months
• 12-18months
• 18-24months
• 2-3yrs
• 3-4yrs
• 4-9yrs
• 10-11yrs
• 11-12yrs
• Teen clothing adult sizes 12-16

Boys clothing, shoes & coats

• 0-3months/newborn
• 9-12months
• 3-4yrs
• 4-5yrs
• 6-7yrs
• 7-8yrs
• 8-9yrs
• 9-10yrs
• 10-11yrs
• Suitable teen clothing in adult sizes S, M, L, XL

Equipment

• Pram/Buggies
• Buggy boards
• Moses baskets & folding stands
• Cots/Cot beds/Toddler beds (less than 10 years old. No mattresses)
• Bed guards
• Bouncy chairs
• Playmats
• Changing mats & bags
• Muslins
• Bibs

Bedding  

• Baby sleeping bags (0-6 months)
• Baby cellular blankets
• Moses basket, cot, cot bed & single bed sheets
• Single duvet covers

Bathing

• Baby baths
• Reclining bath supports
• Hooded towels

Toys

• Baby toys suitable from birth
• Sorting/stacking toys
• Board and cloth books for babies
• Toddler toys (no large playsets)
• Board games and card games
• Teen books

Please make sure all toys have a CE mark on.

Toiletries

• New and unopened toiletries e.g. shampoo, body wash, toothpaste, deodorant etc.
• Nappies and wipes

School Uniform

• All non logo school uniform in all colours and all sizes including shirts, t-shirts, jumpers, cardigans, skirts, trousers, shorts, summer dresses
• PE kits items such as shorts, t-shirts in all colours and all sizes.
• New stationery items including pens, pencils, rulers, maths sets, highlighters, A4 pads.
• Our full school days wish list can be found here. 

We are well stocked with all other items, thank you!- 

Important notes when donating

• We are located in Reigate, Surrey and unfortunately cannot offer a collection service.
• Please do not bring donations at any other time and absolutely no donations to be left outside the warehouse when we are closed, thank you!
• We are operating a ‘drop-off‘ system – donors will drive into the car park and we can assist to unload donations at the warehouse doors.
• It will be a great help if you follow our usual guidelines for donating items – ensure all items are freshly laundered, pre-sorted by age/gender and in a condition which you’d be happy to donate to a friend. This means that we won’t put a strain on our already limited resources and we can re-home your items quickly. For more information on making a donation, see How to Donate.

We know you all have lots of items to offer, so we’ve prepared a page to show you where to take the items we are unable to accept at the moment – Other places to recycle and reuse in Surrey.

We also have an Amazon wish list of new items which we continually need to complement our pre-loved packs. The list is regularly updated as our stock changes and items are delivered straight to us where they are readily distributed.

Please email donate@stripeystork.org.uk if you have any queries regarding our Stripey Stork wish list donation sessions .

Thank you for your support Team Stork

The post Stripey Stork’s wish list appeared first on Stripey Stork.

A new government report shows a continued rise in children in the UK growing up trapped in poverty – this figure now sits at 4.1 million, with 70% of those coming from working households*.

During the school holidays, the detrimental effects of poverty on children’s health increases – as lack of affordable childcare, costly activities to keep them entertained and food worries are at their worst.

Families who rely on free school meals during term time face an added financial pressure to provide a main meal during school holidays. It is estimated that the loss of free school meals is between £30-£40 a week per child**. A lot of money for those already living on the breadline.

This, combined with the cost of activities to keep children entertained, means the thought of school holidays fills such families with dread, rather than excitement.

We recently had the opportunity to be involved in a project which will help alleviate some of the additional pressures brought on by school holidays for local families – we were very keen to help where we could.

Loveworks, a Reigate community charity and foodbank, started the project after they were contacted by a few local schools last summer over concerns that those children who were depending on free school lunches may go hungry in the holidays. Loveworks had also noticed a substantial increase in families, with children, accessing their foodbanks over the summer.

Following discussions with a local Children’s Centre, they decided to run a trial project to provide relief for the nearly 150 struggling families on their caseload. For the Easter holiday period, Loveworks have provided lunch boxes and some healthy lunch ingredients to help those families who may otherwise have struggled to provide food and would also benefit from being inspired by healthy lunch ideas.

The lunchboxes were filled with food such as wraps, cheese, fruit, veg and snacks, which were low in fat, salt and sugar. Recipe sheets were also included, full of easy, affordable and healthy packed lunch ideas to help fill the gap so the children don’t go hungry and their families aren’t pushed any further into food poverty and insecurity.

So, we put our heads together on how we could also help and our ‘Easter bags’ project was born. We sourced some reusable and bright drawstring bags (blue and orange of course!), and filled them with new pens, pencils, colouring paper and crafts along with books, games, puzzles and small toys we already had in stock. We ensured the contents were suitable for children in preschool, nursery and reception.

We were also able to donate some branded water bottles to complement Loveworks’ lunchboxes.

These goodies will give the children plenty of opportunities to play, with some downtime and educational activities to match. Whenever they utter those dreaded words “I’m bored!”, then they’ll be reminded of their bag full of entertainment. The fact that the items fit into a child-sized handy bag means that they can bring them whilst out and about, for example to any of the great, local parks in our area.

The bags were dropped off today (Friday 5th April 2019), in time to be distributed to the children just before the school bell rung.

A very special thanks to Elaine and Nancy, two of our dedicated volunteers, who have done a brilliant job in coordinating this project and were on-hand to deliver the bags today.

Loveworks were also in the playground handing out the packs and showing the children how to fold the wraps, and discuss ideas of what they could put in them.

Here’s some feedback from the Children’s Centre involved in the project:

“The Easter holiday project has been a fantastic way, we as a Children’s Centre, along with local charities can help to support families with the additional costs they face over the Easter holidays. Many children receive free school meals which means parents have higher food costs during school holidays and the additional pressures of finding things to keep children entertained can put additional strain on families financially. Approximately 150 bags have been given out, the parents and children have been thrilled to receive them.”

Thank you to Caitlyn, a very kind young lady who asked friends and family for donations of colouring pens and pencils to Stripey Stork, instead of Birthday presents this year. Thanks to this act of kindness, we were able to use them in the Easter bags.

A shout-out also to Phoebe, who asked for donations to Stripey Stork for her recent Birthday. It’s because of funds like this that we are able to support special projects like the Easter bags. We are so proud of these special young ladies in being grateful for everything they already have and showing such empathy to others.

Thank you to Loveworks and everyone involved in making this project happen. It highlights how different organisations can work together to address a real need in the community. Each having its own strengths and resources, but together doing even more amazing things.

* https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/households-below-average-income-199495-to-201718
** The All Party Parliamentary Group on Hunger – https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-39697216

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For those of you who are signed up to our mailing list, you will have already heard our big news! We found out at the end of last year that we need to find a new home. There is a planning proposal in place for development of the business park where we operate, and our lease is unlikely to be renewed after August this year. We needed to take action.

The last time we had to search for new premises it took us a year to find somewhere suitable so we got straight on the case. I’m pleased to say we were luckier this time and we’ve found somewhere that fits the bill.

We have taken this as an opportunity to find somewhere that will help us achieve the ambitious longer term targets we’ve set ourselves. By the end of 2021 we want to be able to respond to 3500 requests a year from across the county and beyond, and pass back items into the community worth £1m per year.

We believe that every baby deserves the same start, and time and time again you show us that you believe this too. 

The proposed site is double the size of our current space and is still based in the same borough so is a convenient location for all our volunteers, donors and referral partners. There is so much scope to grow the service and help more families from this new base. I took the trustees and the team to see this new unit and everyone loved it.

Sonya our Referrals Coordinator loved the roller shutter doors. She could imagine being able to easily pack the cars of referral partners with items for the families they are working with.

Lydia our Donations Coordinator loved that it is on the ground floor. Any of you who have visited Stripey Stork will know that we have always had stairs to deal with – what a joy it will be to move prams and cots without having to think of the stairs!

Debby our Office Administrator loved that there is an office space big enough to accommodate the team AND organise the items we need for events and campaigns like Mum2Mum and Santa Stork.

Running these vital campaigns in a bigger space will be much easier.

I loved the fact that it will be such a fantastic location to welcome visiting groups and people who are interested to find out more about the work we do. I’m always proud to show people around our current offices but I just know that we’ll be able to do so much more from this new site.

But bigger space comes with a bigger cost.

And whilst we have never been short of ambition, we are going to need the support of our fantastic #TeamStork community to make this move possible. So often we ask you for the items your families have outgrown, or to pass on new presents for Mother’s Day or gifts for Christmas. You always overwhelm us with your responses and kindness.

Today we’re asking for a financial contribution towards our increased rental costs. 

A symbolic ‘brick’ in the wall of our new premises, and a show of support for the service that has become an integral part of our local community.

Please show us that #TeamStork are behind us as we take this next step on the Stork journey, helping us to ‘spread our wings’. Some generous funders have come on board already but we need to show them, and other potential supporters, that the community are behind us as we take this next step.

Are you with us #TeamStork?

You can make a one-off or monthly donation here (please include gift aid if you can as it makes such a difference). Making a £10 commitment per month gives us a secure base from which to grow our service.Your contribution however small will make a difference and, as we’ve demonstrated over the last 5 years, we’ll make the new space work incredibly hard for the community.

Please email me directly at info@stripeystork.org.uk if you have fundraising ideas or if your workplace, church or community group have funds or grants that we may be able to benefit from. We are always happy to chat if you’d like to know more about our plans for the future, pay us a visit or find out more about what we do.

It’s the exciting next step for #TeamStork and we’d love you to be a part of it. 

Thank you,

Founder and General Manager

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So, what does this have to do with International Women’s Day we hear you ask?

Well it’s the journey it made, and the women that made it possible – we believe they should be celebrated.

The donor

This brand new Mountain Buggy was sent to us by Natural Baby Shower. Double buggies are usually in short supply at Stripey Stork so it’s always exciting when we receive one. Lauren and the team at NBS made this happen as part of the partnership with us that they recently announced. They wanted this ex-display item to be re-homed where it would make a real difference and they trusted Stripey Stork to make that happen.

The company was founded by Victoria Hampson in 2007 – an inspiring women and Mum with a passion for parenting, the environment and a desire to make baby shopping simpler. We share so many of the same values and couldn’t be more pleased that we’re going to be working with NBS.

The referral source

At Stripey Stork we work with such caring community partners and Sallie from the Cobham & Banstead Community Midwife Team is no exception. She was keen to help a family on her caseload – the Mum has a seven month old baby and a toddler and, since the birth of the second child, had been using an old stroller which was unsuitable and unsafe for transporting a toddler. This was sadly her only option as buying one, even second hand, was out of the question.

Sallie explained that before the team knew about Stripey Stork, the Community Midwives at Epsom had gathered together suitable equipment, clothing, toys, food and toiletries for the family. Incredible women exceeding the expectations of their role and coming together to support other women.

The recipient

The Mum in question had a particularly difficult upbringing involving drugs and prescription medicine. After losing her own mother at a young age, she suffered from ongoing mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. With very little family support, both emotionally and financially, it’s been a tough time. But, she is managing to turn her life around with the support of others and is solely focussed on the health and wellbeing of her children. Her persistence and determination are to be applauded.

Making A Difference

So, when we were able to contact Sallie this week to pass on the good news that we had a double buggy for Mum, she knew this was going to be life-changing for them. She quickly came to collect it as she knew Mum would be keen to start using it.

Sallie reported back the next day and told us that this ‘freedom machine’ had already allowed Mum to attend her Community Mental Health Support Group getting the children there safely. One of the many journeys she’ll be able to make using the buggy as she continues her progress and raises her children. And it obviously means such a lot to her – one of the support team there saw her padlocking it outside the centre to make sure her precious new buggy was left secure.

Our team take such care to match the items we receive to the referrals on our list, and in this scenario once again, we got it just right. With space being such a premium in the family flat, it can be folded down and comfortably tucked behind the sofa. It’s also manageable for her to carry down one flight of stairs with two kids in tow.

Mum summed it up: “This buggy is awesome!”

For us it’s another referral marked as ‘completed’ and once again made possible by a group of amazing women. From the donors to the Stripey Stork donation and referrals team. From the referral source to the grateful recipient. We all share the same belief – that children deserve the same start – and by working together we have once again made a difference.

On International Women’s Day we salute them and all of #TeamStork.

The post Amazing women making a difference appeared first on Stripey Stork.

In Surrey*, data suggests that it is low income families which are experiencing poor levels of school readiness, so we want to ensure that we are doing everything possible to support the local health professionals who rely on our services to help the families on their caseload.

Here’s a useful list of how Stripey Stork can help with many of the items needed in preparation for this transition:

Books

We have a continuous supply of  books for all ages and levels here at Stripey Stork. The condition is always checked before our book bag bundles are made-up by age.

Books at home support being read to, holding a book and turning the pages, understanding aspects of the narrative and, being able to talk about the characters.

Reading is also a great opportunity for children and parents to bond – which is why a book bundle is always included for every child referred to us.

Toys

We have an abundance of good condition toys which teach children all about the world around them. From small world toys which they can immerse themselves in play with and let their imaginations run wild, to role play toys where they can learn how to best deal with certain situations and practise qualities such as good manners, taking responsibility and sharing.

If there is a particular toy request that you have then please ask and if we don’t have this in stock, we may be able to get hold of one for you.

Games

We have a great selection of educational games, from phonics and counting, to problem-solving and memory recall.

Stationery

Every child loves a pencil case, its treasured contents and writing/colouring books. We can put a bundle together which will have them skipping through those school gates on the first day.

Toilet Training

Schools strongly encourage all children to be toilet trained and using the toilet independently by the time they start school. We can support this often difficult quest by providing a potty, training seat, pull ups and spare pants, helping to ensure they have a good start from day one and embarrassing accidents are minimised.

Feeding Equipment

School lunchtime can be a real challenge for those children who are unable to adequately feed themselves – let us help if one of your families needs any plates, bowls, training cups, bowls and cutlery.

Toiletries

Personal hygiene is so important for a child’s confidence. We have shelves of toiletry supplies, such as body wash, shampoo, toothbrushes and toothpaste. We understand that for families desperately struggling to put food on the table, such products can be a luxury item which they can’t always afford.

Schools Bags

We always have a supply of school rucksacks for children to keep all of their special school belongings together. We ensure we have a variety of designs to match different personalities and interests. We want them to feel proud wearing it!

We can provide lunchboxes for those children who are planning to take a packed lunch to school, getting this in plenty of time means you can encourage picnics before they start school – this will help with their independence in taking off their own yogurt lids, opening packets and peeling fruit. And no school bag would be complete without a brand new, leak proof water bottle to keep refreshed throughout the day.

Clothes

We always keep a range of standard school uniform shirts, trousers, skirts and dresses. As well as plimsolls and school shoes – we appreciate that the cost of these alone can be a real financial burden, especially if there are siblings to buy for too.

Wearing appropriate outdoor clothes to brave the elements of the school run is so important to start and end the school day positively. We are well-stocked with winter coats which we save all year round for when the colder weather strikes. Often pupils are required to keep a spare pair of wellies at school for outside play, which can be an added financial burden, so ask and we’ll try and help.

Role Play/Dressing up Clothes

Once school has started, then the party invitations will start flooding in. We are able to supply party clothes and as many birthday parties around this age group are fancy dress themed – we can definitely help any young spidermans or princesses get into character with our costume supply. Then there’s World Book Day on 7th March this year – see our blog on how we supplied 51 costumes to a local school last year.

Buggies

If a family lives quite a distance from school and has younger children in tow, they may benefit from a buggy, where previously this was no longer required. Sometimes it’s the small adjustments which can make all the difference to a child’s attendance – as is demonstrated in this story of a family we were able to help by easing their walk to and from nursery.

And Remember…

All of the requests we receive are made to order and specific to each child – we want them to feel special. We also want the parents/carers to feel like they are receiving a gift and not a hand out – so we pride ourselves on only redistributing items in excellent condition. We understand how dignity and self-esteem are more important than ever when life isn’t going your way!

Being school-ready is something which parents may feel anxious about, but the important thing is that any gaps in readiness are identified early and steps are put in place to ensure a child is developing the necessary skills required.

Then they’ll be ready, steady, go – to reach their full potential once school has started.

Please remember, we are unable to respond to direct requests from individual families, but if you speak with your healthcare professional or local Sure Start Centre then they’ll be able to make a referral on your behalf. All referrals should be made to refer@stripeystork.org.uk from the health professional’s work email address.

*Source: https://www.surreyi.gov.uk

The post Stripey Stork helping families get Ready4School appeared first on Stripey Stork.

It was the end of a busy week at the office when the post arrived one Friday before Christmas 2018. We opened a Christmas card and a crisp ten pound note fell out. The handwritten message inside stopped us in our tracks:

“Dear Stripy Stork
Thank you for all the help you have given me and my baby. Last year I was in a bad place and was dreading Christmas. I had no family, no presents and tried to pretend it wasn’t happening. My support worker got me some things from you and I am so greatful (sic). I didn’t realise how important it was to give my son a gift. When he opened the Frozen snowman toy and I saw his face I felt like a proper mum for the first time ever. I started to get things sorted in January and got a new job in the summer. I made a promise that this year I would support what you do at Christmas. So here is £10. I hope it makes another mum feel like I did. Thank you for all you do.”

Wow. What an incredible thing for this mum to do. The Santa Stork gift of last year – an Olaf teddy donated by In Kind Direct – had such an impact that she was paying that kindness forward. We couldn’t be more grateful.

A year on and this family are in a better position but we know there are hundreds of parents and carers in our community feeling exactly like she did – dreading Christmas and wishing it wasn’t going to happen – because they can’t provide a few simple gifts for their children to open on Christmas morning.

That’s what Santa Stork is all about – you can read all about our annual Christmas campaign here in our blog.

“I hope it makes another mum feel like I did.”

See Santa Stork page for details of how to help this year’s campaign.

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Reflecting on 2018

No post about looking forward would be complete without starting from where we’ve come. 2018 was a big year for us. The ambitious target we set ourselves to respond to 2018 requests for help was exceeded; we were able to respond to a massive 2276 requests from our referral partners, which were made on behalf of the local families they support.

We estimate that the total value of these new and pre-loved items which have been passed onto the local community this year is over £600k.

Targets for 2019

We KNOW that the demand for our services has been rising since we started in 2013. And this is now truer than ever, with the introduction of Universal Credit and the issues it brings, benefits being frozen, and living costs and unemployment increasing. See our blog for further evidence.

Contrary to misconception, this is happening right on our doorstep, with 10% (22640) of children in Surrey living in poverty and two thirds of these being from working households (source: www.cfsurrey.org.uk).

The target we have set ourselves this year is to respond to 2500 referral requests and we are currently gearing up for the challenge. The area we primarily serve is East Surrey – this is where we are located, where we have fantastic support from the local community and where we have built a reputation with the referral sources who have come to depend on our services.

But, we can do more!

We have a great opportunity to ‘expand our village’ even further to other parts of Surrey. Such areas have been identified as being in desperate need and are drastically under-served at present. Establishing and building partnerships with referral sources in these areas is a key focus for 2019, and the groundwork for this has already been laid in 2018.

A number of projects are also underway which are looking at our operational processes and infrastructure, to ensure that we can meet the promise of expanding the area we cover.

How to get involved

As well as the usual but crucial volunteering and donating items from our monthly wish list, we also have a list of many, sometimes less obvious, other ways you can help.

We have a calendar of events planned for this year, so here’s our quarterly campaign dates for your diary:

#Mum2Mum – 31st March is Mother’s Day

We want to let all the Mums that we support know what a fantastic job they are doing, under what is sometimes the most difficult of circumstances. We are aiming to provide gift packs and cards for 300 Mums who would otherwise be unrecognised.

There are numerous ways to get involved and you can read all about how in our recent Mum2Mum blog. From donating just £5 via Localgiving towards a mini pamper pack, to organising a collection of gifts amongst your friends or colleagues.

#Stripes4Stripey – 20th June

This is the day of the stripes, where we ask everyone far and wide, or local and small, to make a statement and dress in their favourite stripey attire in return for a donation to our ‘new socks, underwear and nightwear’ fund. Stripey people will be encouraged to share their photos on social media using #Stripes4Stripey2019 to help spread the fun and create awareness. Inspire your friends, work colleagues or children’s school to get involved. The more the stripier, the more the merrier is what we say!

Run Reigate 2019 – 15th September

If you’re setting your personal goals for 2019, then why not go for the ultimate and start with taking part in Run Reigate this year? You’ve probably heard about all the fuss so now it’s time to find out for yourself. There’s plenty of races to choose from; 5km, 10km, the award winning 1/2 marathon, or even the kid’s race for the little people in your life.

Whatever your ability, we’d love to have you on #TeamStork. You can run as an individual, team or family. Either way you won’t be on your own. We’ll be with you every step of the way; providing lots of moral support, working with you on fundraising, covering your adult race fee and supplying you with our branded running kit. It’s a great community event and our biggest fundraiser of the year, so pencil us in!

#SantaStork2019 – 2nd December

Our popular Christmas campaign provides brand new (and often specially requested) presents for those most in need in our local area. In 2018, 1517 children and 828 parent/carer presents were distributed in the run up to Christmas, estimated to be a huge £50k in value. There are lots of ways to help with our biggest seasonal campaign; donate online, buy from our special Amazon wish list or take your children shopping for an item from our suggested gift list – more information when the campaign is launched mid-October. All presents are collected by 2nd December, ready for our Santa Stork Giving Day in mid-December.

If you think your work may like to get involved, then we can arrange for a bespoke Amazon wish list or company gift list. We will support you with posters, graphics and any other marketing materials which you may need, and we always give a shout-out of thanks on social media to our corporate partners.

New for 2019

Virtual Challenge

If the Run Reigate date or the idea of an organised race doesn’t work for you, then hot off the press is Stripey Stork’s virtual challenge. This is ideal for those who prefer to challenge themselves at their own pace and in their own time – your race, you way! More details coming soon, but we are very excited about giving you the opportunity to #EarnYourStripes with us and thus a bespoke Stripey Stork medal, all for a little fundraising for your favourite local charity – us!

Reigate Manor Hotel Quiz & Curry Night

Another date for your diary is Thursday 21st March at 7:30pm – with all profits from this event going to Stripey Stork. So, start thinking about your ‘dream team’ as we’d love to see as many of you there as possible to show everyone that when we get behind an event, we mean business! You can download a poster to display at work or on any community noticeboards you are associated with. Tickets can be purchased here.

And Not Forgetting…

Match Funding

If we are lucky enough to have you fundraising for us for a particular event or challenge you are undertaking, then please enquire with your employer on whether they have a match funding scheme; where they match, up to a certain amount, the funds you raise. This is often a missed opportunity so it’s always worth asking the question. A prerequisite will be that the charity you are supporting is UK registered, which we are: charity number 1161613.

Gift Aid

If you are kindly donating money to us via one of our online appeals, always add gift aid if you are a UK tax payer. This will ensure an extra 25% is added to your donation, at no extra cost to you.

Have an Idea?

Keep your ears to the ground and eyes wide open for any potential opportunities or partnerships for us to be involved with. It doesn’t always have to be about parting with your own hard-earned cash, but more about thinking ‘outside the box’ and seizing opportunities as they arise. If you have an idea, or any questions about the above, then our door is always open – please email partnerships@stripeystork.org.uk.

And finally, all that’s left to say is a huge thank you for your continued support. We couldn’t do what we do without our supporters, volunteers and partners. It’s because of you that we are entering into 2019 with a ‘can do’ attitude and the capability to achieve our goals – keep up the smashing work #TeamStork!

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Our Santa Stork campaign really does get more extraordinary every year. This year was our fifth and the Giving Day was an incredible event. Here’s a sense of what it was all about, and some special thanks to those who played their part in making it happen.

Since October we have been building up to Giving Day, which was held on Monday 10th December this year. It was an early start for #TeamStork. With the help of ASD Transport, Karl AKA “man and a van” and our reliable team of volunteers, all the gift bags were moved from storage to Reigate Baptist Church where the real fun was about to begin.

All the presents were brand new and, wherever possible, what the children or their parents had requested on their behalf. No sibling was left out and if the referral source felt like the parent/carer could really do with a boost this Christmas, then they were also included.

We had wrapping stations setup around the hall, with lots of our regular volunteers, community groups and corporate teams who have helped us throughout the year. It was a bustle of activity, with Christmas jumpers as far as the eye could see.

Christmas songs were playing and mince pies kept everyone fueled.

To give you an idea of how busy it was, here’s a time-lapse video from the beginning to the end of the day, which is exhausting just to watch:

The referral sources who work directly with the families we were helping this Santa Stork, came and collected the presents throughout the day. Although we don’t get to see the parent’s gratification first hand when they are handed the bundle of gifts, the referral sources do and we feed off the feedback they share with us from previous years and the stories of some of the families who are about to have Christmas ‘made’ for them. It really is humbling to be part of this special day.

Emma from the Reigate & Banstead Women’s Aid refuge explains what Santa Stork means to the families they support:

We caught up with Sarah and Ellie from Children’s Hospital at Home in Croydon:

Sarah added: “Without Stripey Stork I don’t know what we would do. Many of our families are in temporary accommodation and have no access to public funds because they are waiting for their visas, which means they can’t even afford the basics never mind Christmas presents. Thank you Stripey Stork for everything you do all year round and especially at Christmas time when so many of the families we help would have nothing to celebrate.”

We set up a Christmas tree in the hall and throughout the day it was covered in messages of thanks from our referral sources.

We welcomed the Mayor of Reigate & Banstead, it was lovely that she was part of the day so she would see for herself the front line work which we are doing.

The difference we are making

This year we set ourselves a target of giving 1500 presents to local children in need and 750 of their parents/carers. There are still a lot of late requests to deal with, but on the day – thanks to your generosity – we have been able to give gift bags filled with presents to:

1367 children
730 of their parents/carers

That’s an estimate of goods valuing over £45,000!

[UPDATE: including the last minute requests we were able to give out gift bags for 1517 children and 828 of their parents/carers, that’s an estimate of £50,000 in value]

It doesn’t escape us how bittersweet this message is. Every year we predict a rise in requests and sadly this has so far been the case:

Santa Stork 2017: 1040 children/438 adults
Santa Stork 2016: 767 children/370 adults
Santa Stork 2015: 487 children/295 adults
Santa Stork 2014: 146 children/56 adults

But Santa Stork has a fantastic team of supporters behind it so we are able to rise to this challenge.

We have an extensive referral contact’s database, a mammoth spreadsheet and the best Chief Elf (Lauren) which Santa could wish for, and not forgetting her hardworking and enthusiastic team of elf volunteers.

A big thank you

Here’s a shout-out to all those who have made a special contribution to this campaign.

• All of our supporters who have donated online, shopped from our Amazon wish list, or gone shopping and bought a present from our suggested gift list. Your generosity is immense – Thank you!
• All of our wonderful referral sources who made requests for the families they support, and then collected and distributed the gifts.
• Cllr Barbara Thomson for her Surrey County Council Community Grant which contributed to the rent of the storage space we needed to run the project.
• The Mayor of Reigate & Banstead for coming along on Giving Day to find out about our charity and Christmas campaign, and being part of this special day.
• In Kind Direct and Disney Store UK for the 48 Mickey Mouse soft toys, donated as part of their #GiftMagic campaign.
• Le Toy Van for donating nearly 1000 brand new Budkins – high quality wooden figures for our gift bags.
• Andy Nash and the team at the Belfry for helping on Giving Day. Also including us to benefit from the Santa’s Grotto charity donations, providing gifts for Santa Stork, donating £140 vouchers to purchase last minute gifts from the Belfry, and allowing us to be at the Greatest Show Christmas lights switch!
• The Saccone Joly family for donating 400 A Friend of My Own dolls – cuddly, soft and suitable for all ages.
• Celtic Contractors Ltd who’ve been involved every year so far, with staff purchasing gifts from their own Amazon wishlist.
• The Communications Team at Grant Thornton International who purchased gifts from their own Amazon wishlist.
• The Social Media Team at ASOS, who had their own Amazon wishlist, instead of doing Secret Santa.
• ITW Construction Products who bought gifts and stocking fillers from their own Amazon wishlist and from our suggested gift list.
• The IHS Markit team in Coulsdon who bought items from our Santa Stork Amazon wishlist.
• Fidelity who bought items from our suggested gift list.
• JLT who bought items from our suggested gift list.
• Total Gas & Power who bought items from our suggested gift list, and their charity committee matched with a donation of £180.
• The Fix Auto team in Crawley, who did an inhouse collection of presents from our suggested list.
• Busy Lizzy Reigate for arranging gifts from our suggested list to be collected.
• Gipsy Hill Brew who held a Christmas event where they collected gifts from our suggested wishlist.
• The families at Banstead Infant School who donated an amazing £608.46 by collecting money after the school Christmas performances.
• The parents at Holmesdale Community Infant School who collected stocking fillers.
• Hazelwood School in Oxted who raised an impressive £243 by fundraising at their Christmas fair and donated some new plush soft toys.
• Aberdour Preparatory School who donated £450.52 from their Christmas fair.
• Downsend School Ashtead Pre-Prep, for the parents who donated presents from our suggested gift list and books.
• Oakhyrst Grange School who collected gifts at their school fair.
• Reigate Methodist Church who collected donations at their Christmas Tree Festival and contributed £340.44
• The Parish of Merstham who held a collection at their Christingle service and raised £38.
• Surrey Sands who invited families to attend their Lights of Love service and bring a gift for a child the same age as what their baby would have been this Christmas.
• Caterham WI who collected gifts and stocking fillers at their AGM.
• Caterham Round Table who generously donatedthe funds to purchase the gift bags.
• Horley Lions Club who donated £300 towards late gift requests.
• Redhill Redstone Rotary Club who donated £165, and some Usborne Illustrated Dictionaries and Steiff Reindeer teddies for presents.
• All Things Chic whose proceeds from their Red Barn shopping event raised enough to buy 40 items from our suggested gift list.
• Tropic Skincare for donating gift sets and toiletries to use as parent/carer gifts.
• Corinne, a long term supporter who kindly purchased popular gifts throughout the year and from our suggested gift list, and generously donated them to Santa Stork.
• Esther who, with the help of her friends, prepared 56 gift bundles for teenagers and parents/carers.
• Emily, Joanne and their family and friends, who coordinated a large collection of gifts.
• The Babbage family who support us throughout the year and donated a number of presents.
• Sara who donated lots of book from her Usborne Children’s Books business.
• Tesco Community Champions who organised an in-store collection of gifts which was generously supported by Tesco Gatwick staff and shoppers.
• The Harrow Vintage Inn in Warlingham, who had a Giving Tree for Santa Stork late requests, where tags for specific ages/genders were placed on the tree for customers to take away and purchase a gift. They also raised £140.
• The other local charities involved in the local #LetsGiveChristmas campaign: Voluntary Action Reigate & Banstead, Loveworks, Renewed Hope Trust, Epsom & Ewell Foodbank. Thank you to Pfizer UK for their help with the communications and media planning for the #LetsGiveChristmas campaign.
• Our friends at Halliwell Marks, Walter & Mair, Pistachios Memorial Park, Redhill, TSB in The Belfry, and Let’s Explore, Horley who were so accommodating in allowing people to drop-off presents at their premises.
• Atkins Global who donated £250 to allow us to fulfil the last minute requests.
• RBBC Town Hall who took delivery of all the Amazon parcels from the wishlist and delivered them to us.
• Alex Whiteley for producing the #SantaStork2018 launch video: ‘Give a gift, make a memory’. Thank you also to all those who took part: Ortis @OrtisDeley, Natalie @ThisSurreyMummy, Nicola @IAmNicolaSemple, Cathryn @SeasonalKids, Sarah @PickSarah, Kate @Imagineville16, Josh @JoshPBK.
• Karl Hyder, AKA the man and a van! and ASD Transport who helped transport the gift bags on the day.
• Maraya Gibbs for being our official photographer for the day.
• The team at Reigate Baptist Church for donating the use of their hall and facilities for the day.
• And finally… our amazing Santa Stork team of volunteers – Ann, Gill, Gaynor, Megan, Lisa, Jo, Emma, Sarah S, Sarah C, Debby, Margarida, Donna, Susy, Nicola, Sonya and Jenny, all ably led by Chief Elf Lauren.

If you still want to help with last minute present requests, of which there will be many, you can still donate to our Localgiving Appeal. Thank you!

Merry Christmas everyone xx

The post Santa Stork 2018 – our giving day appeared first on Stripey Stork.

Every year Localgiving present local charities with an opportunity to make their funds go even further with a match funding opportunity. Many of you have asked when this is going to be launched and we can now reveal details of this year’s Grow Your Tenner campaign.

There’s no question that the need for our services is on the increase, but to keep up with that ever-increasing demand we are continually looking for dependable and innovative ways to fund our work. So, when Localgiving announced that this year’s Grow Your Tenner campaign is focusing on encouraging people to become long term supporters of local charities, we got a little bit enthusiastic.

How it works

The proposition is simple, but has a high impact! From 10am on Tuesday 11th December 2018, new monthly direct debit donations will be matched by up to £10. The matching will take place after the first 6 donations, and be applied to the following 6 donations.

So, £120 can be turned into £200, as if by magic! Here’s how: If a donor gives 12 monthly donations of £10 (=£120), Localgiving will match the final 6 donations (+£60=£180). And not forgetting that all important 25% gift aid (if applicable) on your £120 contributions. Voila! £120 becomes over £200!

But remember, you must wait until after 10am on Tuesday 11th December to sign up

Terms and conditions apply (see below). 

How the funds will be used

There’s been a lot of talk recently about the increasing demand for UK baby banks and we have felt this more than. So far this year alone we have responded to over 2000 requests for help, which is already over a 20% increase on last year’s total for the whole year. You can read all about the reasoning and further statistics in our Born on the Breadline blog. But the immediate question is how will we cover the associated costs for this ever-increasing demand for our services?

We have a Funding Co-ordinator who works tirelessly on grant and funding applications, and this is continuously happening in the background. We are always extremely grateful when we have a successful application, but this funding is often ring-fenced for a particular project or appeal.

Then there are the kind donations and fundraising activities from our loyal supporters, we rely on these to do the essence of our work, from buying urgent supplies to answer an emergency request, to bulk purchasing new items needed to complement the pre-loved bundles we send out, of which we average over 50 a week.

Additionally, we have operational costs like any other organisation, we have rent to pay, a building to heat and baby clothes to wash. Our operational costs are modest in comparison to other organisations and national charities, and we work hard to keep these costs to a minimum. However, we do operate in the real world and these associated costs are existent and rising nonetheless. Your monthly contributions would also be used to cover such operational costs.

The impact of your donation

It costs us on average of £25 for each referral package we send out. This includes all of the operational costs associated with making this happen. When you think that each bundle has a value worth approximately £250, this is great value for money. So, a £200 donation would mean we can help 8 local families in need, supplying them with children’s clothes for a week, essential toiletries and toys/books.

Make it happen!

Whilst New Year’s resolutions are being considered, now would be a really good time to think about what you could forgo to make a meaningful contribution in the coming year. With the added benefit of matching part of your contribution with ‘free’ money from Localgiving, meaning your investment will go even further. Giving up one takeaway cup of coffee a week is all it would take!

Rather than donating to a variety of charities throughout the year and losing track of who and what you have supported, you could set a budget at the beginning of the year and let us do the hard work.

Thank you for considering Stripey Stork – after 10am on Tuesday 11th December you can sign up here.

Some important T&Cs

• The campaign will end whenever the match fund runs out or midday on Thursday the 10th January 2019, whichever comes first.
• There is a match funding pot of £100,000, once it’s gone it’s gone. So, the earlier people sign up the better.
• Each charity may receive up to £5,000 match funding.
• Any monthly donations set up before 10am on 11th December will not be matched.
• One-time donations will not be matched, only monthly contributions.
• It is the responsibility of the donor to cancel their direct debit mandate when they are ready.
• For full terms and conditions, click here.

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