Leeds Baby Bank appeals for donations as founder reports rise in referrals

Leeds Baby Bank is urgently seeking more donations after a rise in referrals, founder Chantal Nogbou told the BBC. She said the charity has helped 550 families since the start of June and expects demand to grow as winter approaches.

The charity provides essentials for families with young children, including nappies, formula, buggies and clothing. Nogbou said more people had been referred by health and social care professionals in recent months. The reported increase and the 550-family figure are her account; comparable referral figures were not provided in the published report.

Pressure on families

Nogbou told the BBC that about 70% of the children helped by the charity had a parent who was working. She linked families’ difficulties to household bills and rising energy and fuel costs, but the published account does not establish how much each pressure contributed to the increase in referrals.

She said winter could add to those pressures as families face heating costs while still needing to buy nappies, food and clothes. The charity is also facing higher costs of its own following a move to a larger building in Armley, according to Nogbou.

How the baby bank works

The Department for Work and Pensions estimated that 30.8% of children under 16 in Yorkshire and the Humber lived in families on relative low incomes after housing costs in the financial year ending 2025. Its figure before housing costs was 27.0%. Those regional statistics describe a wider backdrop, rather than the number of Leeds families now seeking help from the baby bank.

Nogbou said donations of goods and money from the community had kept the charity going. Her appeal comes as the organisation tries to meet the demand she reports while covering the costs of its larger premises.