As Volunteers’ Week kicks off across the UK, Sefton Council is taking the opportunity to extend heartfelt thanks to the many volunteers who make a difference in our communities. This year, the spotlight falls on Sefton Baby Baskets, a local charity that has touched the lives of countless families in need of support who have recently moved in to their new home of Waterloo Town Hall.

Volunteer Led 

Sefton Baby Baskets is a volunteer-led initiative that provides essential baby items to mothers and families facing financial hardship. New mums are gifted a moses basket full of all the essentials to give them support when they need it most. Each Moses basket is filled with clothing, sleep bags, toys as well as a toiletries bag of nappies and other toiletries and even a gift pack for mums—including pyjamas and slippers. A huge number of the items are donated by the community and freshly laundered as well as donations funding the purchase of new items to make sure mums and babies who need it most have everything they need from day one.

Gill Ruane, Lead Volunteer at Sefton Baby Baskets said:

“I am so proud of the work our charity does in our community. Having a newborn can be both a beautiful and challenging time and being able to organise the support that these new mums so desperately need is extremely rewarding.

“There is so much generosity in our community and to be able to channel that into something that makes a real impact to new mums in Sefton is just fantastic.”

Profound Impact

The impact of Sefton Baby Baskets is profound. In the 2024, the volunteers helped around 460 new mums and already this year, they have helped 225 families with the essentials they need.

Sefton Council has been a proud supporter of Sefton Baby Baskets, recognising the importance of such initiatives in providing vital support to families and working in partnership to signpost families who need an extra helping hand. The Council were delighted this year to offer space in Waterloo Town Hall for the charity to operate from to ensure that more money can go into helping families in Sefton rather than paying high rent elsewhere.

Proud To Support Volunteers

Gill added:   

“As the demand for our services has grown so has our need for more space, to stay in our previous location and have more space would have cost us over £5k per annum. This is a massive amount for a small charity to raise in addition to the money we need to buy the essentials we need. So, when we found out a move to Waterloo Town Hall was a possibility it was a no brainer not to go for it.

“We are so pleased with our move into Waterloo Town Hall, for us and the people who support us it's ideal in lots of ways it's accessible, it's warm, it's welcoming and we look forward to working with the other groups located there and with Sefton Council.

“The money we will be saving on rent will go directly to helping mums and children, we will be able to increase the essentials that we gift. We'd like to thank everyone who has helped facilitate this move for us.” 

Inspiring Work

Sefton Baby Baskets is just one example of the inspirational volunteer work happening in Sefton that the Council is celebrating this Volunteers Week.

Cllr Diane Roscoe, Cabinet Member for Children, Schools and Families said: 

“Volunteers like those at Sefton Baby Baskets are the heartbeat of our community. Their dedication and compassion ensure that no family has to face the challenges of parenthood alone.

“We have a rich volunteer sector here in Sefton and we are keen to do what we can to support charities who do such fantastic work in our communities.

I want to thank them all from mental health charities and community support, to our litter pickers, nature volunteers and many, many more. Without the support of volunteers across Sefton, we would be much poorer as a society and I value to the work they do immensely.”

More Info

To learn more about Sefton Baby Baskets or to get involved, visit their Facebook page at Sefton Baby Baskets or on Instagram or email seftonbabybaskets@outlook.com

As we celebrate Volunteers’ Week, Sefton Council encourages everyone to consider how they can contribute to their community, whether through volunteering, donating, or simply offering a helping hand to those in need. Go to Sefton CVS | Supporting Local Communities to learn more about volunteering in Sefton.