TUESDAY, 18TH AUGUST 2020 - Media Release

Sunshine Baby Bank and Blue Square support Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity (GOSH Charity) with a donation of 68 Computer Tablets.

A donation of new Samsung computer tablets was made to Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity (GOSH Charity) by the new charity Sunshine Baby Bank and partnered by Blue Square Marketing Ltd. These tablets will help children in the hospital’s care to maintain vital contact with friends and family during the COVID-19 restrictions.

With visits to hospital patients being impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, staying in contact with loved ones has never been more important. The donation of 68 Samsung Tab A tablets, equating to one per six beds across the hospital, will help the children being treated at GOSH stay connected with their friends and family during the COVID restrictions for hospitals, and thereafter will be used to support online learning and entertainment needs.

Sunshine Baby Bank, a new charity supporting vulnerable children and their families in the Southend-on-Sea and Rochford districts of Essex, has joined forces with Blue Square to jointly fund the donation. With funds provided by Sunshine Baby Bank, the supply of the technology and all ongoing support and training is being provided by Blue Square.

Pauline Cooper, founder and trustee of the Sunshine Baby Bank, said: “Many young people across the country have been denied contact with friends and family in recent months, but nowhere is this problem more acute than for vulnerable children in hospital. I hope that as some of us begin to enjoy the freedoms we previously took for granted, the donation of these tablets will help the children being treated at Great Ormond Street Hospital.”

Claire Williams, Head of Patient Experience and Engagement at GOSH, said: “During these unprecedented times, staying in touch with loved ones takes on even more importance than usual, particularly for those in the hospital. The generous donation of the Samsung tablets will make a real difference to seriously ill children and their families at GOSH and for that, we’d like to say a big thank you.”

Andrew Leaver, managing director of Blue Square, said: “We feel so proud of the important work that Great Ormond Street Hospital continue to do, helping seriously ill children who need it most. In these unprecedented times, so many aspects of our society have come under pressure and this has meant that the most vulnerable people in our communities have often found themselves in need of a new kind of support. The children who are cared for by the incredible staff at GOSH, have encountered new challenges and limitations surrounding human interaction and missing out on time with their loved ones. In collaboration with our fellow supporters at the Sunshine Baby Bank charity, we are so grateful for the opportunity to help make these testing times a little easier for the patients at GOSH, their parents and their families.”

Local residents and founder trustees Laura Cooper and Dr Nicole Schnackenberg helped set-up Sunshine Baby Bank as a new charity that has been fast-tracked for approval during the COVID-19 crisis. Since its launch in June, in the Southend-on-Sea and Rochford districts of Essex, the Sunshine Baby Bank has been buying and supplying new and donated baby care items for the parents of infants (0-5 years old) who are living in poverty.

The charity will help to coordinate support between government, other third sector agencies and private companies to alleviate the suffering of an estimated 34% of children living in relative poverty in large parts of the locality; a situation that’s thought to have deteriorated further since the COVID-19 lockdown.

Ends.

Contacts:

Nigel Fairbrass 07799 894 265

Notes to Editors:

About the Sunshine Baby Bank

The Sunshine Baby Bank is a Registered Charity No. 1189533

Company Limited by Guarantee. Company No. 12593856

Registered address: Goldwyns Limited, 90-92 Baxter Avenue, Southend-on-Sea, Essex SS2 6HZ

For further information visit: www.sunshinebabybank.org.uk

Thursday, 18th June 2020 – Media Release

Launch of Sunshine Baby Bank charity to support vulnerable children in Southend-on-Sea and Rochford

A new charity, called the Sunshine Baby Bank, is being launched this Saturday (June 20th) to support vulnerable children and their families in Southend-on-Sea and Rochford. The Sunshine Baby Bank has been fast-tracked for approval by the Charity Commission in response to the Covid-19 crisis.

Inspired by a network of baby banks across the UK, the Sunshine Baby Bank will buy and supply new and donated baby care items for the parents of infants (0-5 years old) who are living in poverty.

Established with an initial donation from local residents, the Sunshine Baby Bank will help to coordinate support between the NHS, local government, other third sector agencies and private companies to alleviate the suffering of an estimated 34% of children living in relative poverty across large parts of the locality. A situation which is thought to have deteriorated further since the Coronavirus lockdown.

Commenting on today’s launch, Sunshine Baby Bank trustee and local resident Nicole Schnackenberg, said:

"The Covid-19 crisis is having a devastating impact on those families with young children who are living in poverty. Parts of Southend-on-Sea and Rochford were already suffering from some of the highest rates of child poverty in the East of England, and this support is now urgently needed by families and single parents cut off from their usual support networks."

"All the evidence suggests that life chances, mental health and educational development are significantly improved by alleviating poverty in children’s early years. By establishing this charity, we aim to bring relief to children when they most need it and hope to their parents who are struggling in very difficult circumstances."

Laura Cooper, also a local Sunshine Baby Bank trustee, said:

"As the government’s support for companies and furloughed workers is withdrawn over the coming weeks, it’s inevitable that many families in the locality will face impossible choices between keeping a roof over their heads, putting food on the table and providing essential items for their children. The Sunshine Baby Bank will be a ray of light and support for these residents, providing free essential equipment in the challenging times that lie ahead."

Sir David Amess, Member of Parliament (MP) for Southend West, said:

"I am pleased to welcome a new charity, the Sunshine Baby Bank, into Southend-on-Sea and the surrounding areas to give much needed support to parents of infants. Parents with young children who struggle financially at the best of times need our support, but especially so during the Coronavirus pandemic. It is important that children who experience poverty get the help they deserve, and Sunshine Baby Bank will do just that. I look forward to working with them in the future and wish them the best of luck with their launch on Saturday."

In its first year, the charity aims to help at least 500 families, beginning with a summer campaign to supply hundreds of free bundles of new items and equipment.

The Sunshine Baby Bank will not have any direct contact with the users of its services and nor will it hold data on users. Instead it will work through health, education, children and community professionals for referrals to its services. For more information please refer to our preview website at www.sunshinebabybank.org.uk.