Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page and support me running for Little Village with your donation. I found Little Village after Rory was born and began to support the charity through their Amazon WishList and with donations of things we no longer needed.  Our friends were so generous with me while pregnant and gave us so much (clothes, toys, nappies, bottles, etc.) that I wanted to be able to do the same for others, and Little Village provides the opportunity to give to those who need it the most. 

One of the best things about Little Village is that everything is given with respect and as a gift to the families.  A goodie is included for the Mum, and they set up a stockroom that families can visit to get what they need. 

Their work is more important than ever as child poverty is on the rise again for the first time in 20 years, and afflicts 46% of children growing up in inner London.

And there are nearly 5000 children under the age of 5 growing up in poverty in Wandsworth (where we live). 

Behind these figures are the real stories of the families Little Village volunteers serve every week - parents raising their kids in desperate circumstances. They see mums unable to pay for nappies and food for their children; babies sleeping on towels and broken beds; newborns living in rat-infested properties.

Knowing that I'm running for these families and such an incredible organisation will keep me going as I run my first half marathon in nearly five years (in the year I turn 40)! 

I'm targeting to raise £2000 which could provide...

Over 260 packs of nappies (diapers)

or

180 cot bed (crib) mattresses to provide a child with a safe place to sleep

or

1248 bottle teats (nipples) for a parent to safely feed their child

I can't thank you enough for your support.  

Deann x

More about Little Village...

Introducing our work

Little Village is like a Foodbank, but for clothes, toys and equipment for babies and children up to the age of 5. We make it as easy as possible for families to help one another, and we promote sustainable living.

We bring the local community together to ensure that children from across the area have their basic needs met. We collect donations of great quality items gifted to us by local parents. Families are sent our way by a growing network of referral partners – health visitors,
children’s centres and midwives primarily, but also faith organisations, other charities and public servants.

We invite families in to choose the items they’d like. They work with trained volunteers and much of our feedback tells us that this warm, dignified experience is as significant as the items the families are
able to take home with them. That said we take care to only give out great quality items: they need to feel like a gift, not a hand out – from one family to another.

Little Village is powered by an incredible network of volunteers, many of whom are mums with small children. A growing number of these volunteers are mums we’ve also supported.

Facts

Since our first referral in April 2016, we have supported over 700 families

Provided:

235 children with a safe place to sleep

224 buggies

777 packs of nappies