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

The post Easter project to help combat holiday poverty appeared first on Stripey Stork.

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

The post We’re spreading our wings appeared first on Stripey Stork.

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.

You can watch #SafeAtLast on Channel 4 Catch-Up – it’s such a powerful piece, which is sympathetically narrated by Julie Walters and highlights a very real challenge which is happening right now on our doorstep.

If you’ve been moved by this documentary and would like to contribute to their plight then you can donate here.On Tuesday 26 February we watched with a vested interest – Stripey Stork have been long term supporters of RBWA and our team have seen first hand the amazing lifesaving work they do. In fact, one of our ‘packages of care’ had a subtle cameo appearance on the programme.

We wanted to support the RBWA in raising awareness of the broadcast, so volunteered our communications expertise around this time. It was a pleasure to be able to contribute in some way and we hope it had the desired effect.

The Funding Challenge

Funds are desperately needed for our local refuge to survive – shockingly they only have 4-6 months of funding secured, and it’s scary to imagine what lays beyond this time frame.

Government cuts have meant that local authority spending on refuges has been cut from £31.2m in 2010 to £23.9m in 2017. The RBWA currently costs £375,000 a year to run – a quarter of this comes from a Surrey County Council grant but this funding is never guaranteed and can be dropped within a 3 month notice period. Another £115,000 comes from housing benefit and the rest must be found by the RBWA through one-off grants and fundraising activity. When they should be solely focussed on caring and helping these women to rebuild their lives, they are having to put their efforts into securing funding to ensure the refuge survives.

This is why the bold decision was made to let the film crew inside the refuge, but it wasn’t an easy decision to make. As Charlotte Kneer (CEO of RBWA) confides:

“From the minute I was asked to help make this film, day in and day out, it has caused me to lose sleep because I have had to make sure that everyone was kept as secure as possible.”

You can read more about the motivation behind this bold decision in The Sun’s recent coverage.

Shocking Statistics

The documentary highlights some disturbing facts:

• Domestic abuse costs the UK £66bn a year.
• Every day the National Domestic Violence helpline receives 230 calls of victims looking for a safe place.
• 1 in 4 women will experience domestic abuse in their lifetime.
• 2 women each week are murdered through domestic abuse in the UK.
• The drastic shortage of beds means that 6 out of 10 women will be turned away from refuges.
• Refuges have lost a quarter of their funding in the last 10 years and 1 in 6 refuges have had to close – with only 302 refuges left in England and Wales.

Dispatches takes you on an emotional journey with some of the brave women and their children who arrive at the refuge.

Susan

Pregnant Mum of 3 was on the street with nowhere to go and arrived at the refuge with nothing but the clothes they were wearing, they’d fled their home 200 miles away. Her partner had become increasingly violent towards her since being pregnant, which we learn is common in cases of domestic abuse. The final straw was when her young daughter was thrown across the bedroom into the wall.

Rachel

A long-suffering domestic abuse victim of 18 years. As well as the repeated physical abuse, she was isolated her from family by her husband, another form of control. During filming, Rachel left the refuge to return to her husband, much to her support worker’s frustration. This is sadly something which they see time and time again – women often return 7 times before they leave their partner for good. But they appreciate that these women need to reach this conclusion on their own. Thankfully, in Rachel’s case she was back in two days after he turned violent towards her again.

Alison

This story is probably the hardest to watch. Alison (whose name had been changed for protection) had been beaten and sexually abused for 16 years and the fall-out of this on her now teenage children is devastating. They have been witness to the abuse and understand all too well what is happening, going through all the associated emotions – from anger to grief. Her eldest teenage son, who was also physically abused, had witnessed his Mum being strangled and had started skipping school to protect her.

They arrived at high risk because her ex was already looking for them. Unfortunately he managed to track them down through a photo of one of her children in their new school uniform on social media. Alison and her children were devastated to be leaving the safety of the refuge and were pleading to stay – they finally felt protected and then were being forced to uproot again. A hard watch indeed! They only had an hour to leave as it had been reported that he was on his way. With only 4 refuge spaces in the country at the time, anxiety levels were high. Luckily, a last minute place at another refuge became available and the family were safe once more.

Charlotte

Charlotte’s own story is also featured in the documentary, who is herself a 9 year victim of domestic abuse and has been the motivation behind the great work she is doing. You can read more about her journey here.

More than a shelter

What comes across loud and clear, is that the refuge is more than a shelter where essential items are provided, but a 6 month rehabilitation programme with access to specialist help from Family Support Workers, counselling and health advice. Each family lives independently, but becomes part of a bigger support network made up of the other families and the 8 refuge workers.

“Shadows come into this refuge and women leave”. 

Aftercare is also provided once they have left the refuge to begin their new life, which is so important in ensuring they don’t slip and go back to their perpetrator if things get lonely in the outside world.

The Future

Over the last 34 years the RBWA have helped over 1800 women and it’s devastating to think that their life-saving work may not be available in the near future. The documentary poignantly ends with one of the carers having to turn down a woman looking for a refuge because all 11 of their spaces were taken. You feel their heartache of not being able to help due to the limited resources they already have.

We’d like to take this opportunity to express our admiration for Charlotte and her wonderful team for everything they do.

If you are a victim of domestic violence, please can the free 24 hour National Domestic Violence helpline on 0808 2000 247 or visit www.womensaid.org.uk.  

Media Coverage

Here’s some of the #SafeAtLast media coverage for further reading:

Independent: https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/safe-at-last-inside-a-womans-refuge-review-channel-4-julie-walters-a8798121.html

The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/feb/26/safe-at-last-inside-a-womens-refuge-review-film-desperate-situation

The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/life/womens-refuges-saved-mine-countless-lives-national-scandal/

iNews: https://inews.co.uk/culture/television/safe-at-last-channel-4-documentary-tonight-time-narrator-julie-walters/

Local Susy Radio: http://www.susyradio.com/2019/03/04/reigate-and-banstead-womens-aid-rbwa/ 

Others: https://twitter.com/louisa_compton/status/1100703594108469248 

The post Dispatches: #SafeAtLast 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.

The post The kindness of Christmas appeared first on Stripey Stork.

One of our referral sources visited us and asked for some items for a little boy and his Mum. The boy was about to celebrate his 5th Birthday and the Mum had no means to provide him with any gifts. Recently fleeing a very violent relationship, the focus up until this point had been on safety rather than celebrations.

Whilst Mum’s request was very modest, we wanted to ensure this little boy had a special day. We keep boxes of new items in our toy area. They’re often gifts donated to us by families who know how lucky their own children have been at Birthday time and want those items to be shared with others.

Quickly we’d accumulated a bag of brand new toys, stationery, a jigsaw and a lovely teddy. We also included one of the #Bags4School. It featured the Minions on the front and the referral source explained that the boy loved Minions and how happy this would make him.

And of course because we’re Stripey Stork that wasn’t enough. We found a roll of wrapping paper and some tape so that mum could wrap the gifts herself. And we added a few special treats for her too.

The post Giving a little boy a happy birthday appeared first on Stripey Stork.

“I went to visit with him last week and he showed me his room. He has nothing in it except for a little rucksack which he packs a few clothes in for his stay each week.”

This came from a request we received from a Social Worker we work with regularly. She was supporting a 10-year-old-boy from a family with a history of domestic abuse and chronic neglect. The boy is at a boarding school and loves it there. It’s calmer, he gets more rest and he is flourishing.

But he had so little in his room. Nothing to show who he is and what he is interested in, and it’s not a room to proudly let friends come and hang out.

We set to work. This case had an impact on us so we found out a little more about this boy. Thanks to our amazing supporters we quickly gathered clothes, toys, books, toiletries, Lego, a new desk lamp and bedding for his room and we even supplied a reconditioned iPad mini. The son of one of our trustees – a boy of the same age – found posters and trading cards from his own collection which featured this boy’s favourite football team and asked for them to be passed on.

Genuine kindness in action.

We caught up with the Social Worker afterwards who was able to give us an update.

“He was so thrilled with all the things he received and his bedroom at boarding school is now looking very homely.

His response when he saw the iPad was lovely but the thing that won him over the most was ‘his very own dressing gown!’ He told me that he had never had one before and that he was looking forward to having a shower that night and wearing it from the bathroom to his bedroom!

I have seen him several times since passing on the items and he is making good use of everything.”

Something so simple as a dressing gown having such an impact. Imagine.

Thank you for trusting us to find the right home for your donations #TeamStork. Operating the way we do we’re able to direct the right items to the right places, and we ensure that it’s almost always more than just the essentials.

The post The dressing gown gift appeared first on Stripey Stork.

What an incredible day. Today was the #SantaStork2017 giving day. It really does get more extraordinary every single year.

We started early and loaded up all the gifts that we’d collected thanks to your support.

Lots of cars and a van were loaded up and taken to the hall we’d booked for our giving day.

Thanks to all your help, generosity and support, we were ready to pass out gift bags filled to the brim with goodies for 874 children and 385 of their parents and carers – isn’t that fantastic!

UPDATE: including the last minute requests we were able to give out gift bags for 1040 children and 438 of their parents and carers. 

The referral sources we work with came and collected the presents they’d requested for the families they support. All the presents were brand new and, in almost all cases, were items that the family or children has specifically requested.

Goods valuing £38,000 have been distributed, and they were sent with the very best wishes from everyone involved in supporting the campaign.

We were delighted to welcome Cllr Barbara Thomson and show her the wrapping day in full flow!

It was humbling to talk to the professionals about the difference the gifts would make; professionals who are supporting vulnerable local families all year around. We heard so many stories about how the gifts being collected were literally the only things the children would receive on Christmas Day.

Without Santa Stork, and your kindness, these local children wouldn’t be receiving anything.

We had a full house of ‘wrapping elves’ today, with help from a record number of people. It was so good to see lots of regular Stripey Stork faces, as well as plenty of new ones, particularly from some of the corporate teams who’ve helped us with our collections this year.

We’re very grateful to those who took time out of their busy schedule to come and lend a hand. You can’t beat #TeamStork for team spirit and there was a wonderful atmosphere in the hall.

We were also delighted to be speaking with That’sTV Surrey today who kindly came along to see the culmination of #SantaStork2017 after they featured our launch back in October.

You can watch their feature here:

https://youtu.be/pWLJkm00jyY

We were also featured on BBC Radio Surrey this morning on this link, which if you go to 1 hour 23 minutes you’ll hear Chief Elf Lauren speaking about Nicola setting up the charity and explaining about Santa Stork.

Of course none of this was possible without the support we received from so many:

• All of our supporters who donated online, shopped from our Amazon wish list, or went out and bought a present using our suggested gifts. Your generosity is humbling – THANK YOU!
• All our wonderful referral sources who made a request and then who collected and distributed gifts
• Localgiving and their #GrowYourTenner match funding scheme. We raised an additional £580 which effectively meant new presents for an extra 50 children!
• Cllr Barbara Thomson for her Surrey County Council community grant which covered rental of the storage space we needed to run the project and the purchase of gift bags
• In Kind Direct and Disney Store UK for the 48 Olaf soft toys as part of the #GiftMagic campaign
• Andy Nash and the team at the Belfry  for helping at the giving day, including us to benefit from the Santa’s Grotto charity donations, providing gifts for Santa Stork and allowing us to promote the charity in the centre via wrapping days and being at the big Christmas light switch on with James and Ola!
• Celtic Contractors Ltd who got involved for the 4^thyear. All 40 staff purchased gifts in their now annual collection.
• Oakhyrst Grange School who collected toys at their school fair
• The parents at Holmesdale Community Infant School who collected stocking fillers
• Dunnottar School who raised over £300 to buy presents from our Amazon wishlist
• 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
• The talented Shona Gow who produced the Santa Stork Activity Pack and Thank You Certificate available to all those who donated online or bought a gift, and our lovely Christmas card
• Caterham WI  who collected gifts and purchased stocking fillers with the proceeds of the raffle. They also provided volunteers for the wrapping weekend at The Belfry.
• Karl Hyder, AKA the man and a van! who helped bring the gifts from HQ to the wrapping location on the day
• Allianz Global Assistance UK – helped with wrapping gifts and staff raised £256.02
• Luxury beauty brand Jurlique who generously donated 300 products for mums with a value of £9660
• Redhill and Reigate Round Table no.119  who kindly made a donation of £500
• All Things Chic – proceeds from Red Barn shopping event raised enough to buy 20 items on our wish list
• Mila and Mateo who sold Halloween glowsticks after school raising £56 which we used to buy 180 packs of chocolate coins
• Milk + Poop who created a Black Friday shopping deal which meant we received a lovely box of brightly coloured cuddly toys and cellular blankets
• The ladies from Pfizer who helped sort presents on their volunteer day and who gathered their teams together at their offices in a campaign to generously donate selected age group’s gifts
• Bailhache Linton who made a donation in lieu of sending Christmas cards and helped out in the office during a CSR day
• Willis Towers Watson who came to sort through gifts during two CSR days
• Metro Bank – sorting gifts at CSR day
• IHS Markit, Coulsdon who helped prepare gift bags and who also collected lots of gifts and stocking fillers
• M&S Redhill who chose Stripey Stork as their annual charity and held an instore staff collection for Santa Stork 2017
• Horley Tangent who donated time at the wrapping days in The Belfry and held a shopping evening raising £700
• Corrine Yates and family who bought, raised money and collected so many items from Southern Housing
• That’s TV Surrey for featuring our story
• Horley Evening WI for their cheque for £160
• RBBC Town Hall who took delivery of all the Amazon parcels from the wish list and delivered them to us
• Bargains4Ever Redhill – contributing toys and allowing us to purchase items at cost price
• The Local Handyman for donating online and buying chocolate section boxes
• Emilia Hunt who donated some of her beautiful hand made fabric goods
• Redhill Confetti who donated craft packs for some of the children
• Esure who donated gifts and stocking fillers
• 3FEV who donated specific Tesla items for a young fanatic on our list!
• Tim’s Pastry Club who donated treats for the wrapping tables – yum!
• Nicola Churchill from Co-Tribe who held a collection and donated some gifts
• The communications team at Grant Thornton International who helped with campaign planning and with getting videos ready to share on our social media channels
• Tesco Community Champions who organised an in-store collection of gifts which was generously supported by Tesco Gatwick shoppers
• The team at the PNL Centre, St Joseph’s Church Hall for making us so welcome and for allowing us to use the hall as a discount rate
• And finally… our amazing Santa Stork team of volunteers – Jenny, Margarida, Nicola, Megan, Angie, Emma, Lisa, Andrea, Sarah C, Sarah S all ably led by Chief Elf Lauren.

Merry Christmas everyone xx

The post Santa Stork 2017 – our giving day appeared first on Stripey Stork.