Baby Basic lending library needs new premises in Stamford

A lending library which provides free children's clothing and equipment is looking for a new home.

Baby Basic has been operating from premises on the Stamford Hospital site for around 10 years under different names.

It started out as part of the Alternatives pregnancy advice service which launched in July 2009.

The volunteers collect donations and re-distribute them to families who may struggle to make ends meet or those who just want to cut down on waste.

The service has expanded dramatically in recent years but is now looking for new premises after the North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust gave notice on the building.

The team have been asked to move out by the end of June.

Trustee Vanessa Burton said: "We run from the current premises on goodwill and have been really lucky being rent free for so long.

"But if we've got nowhere to go in June, storage will be a huge issue.

"We just need somewhere dry and accessible with space for us to set everything out."

Vanessa and fellow trustees Alice Scott and Alex Huggins hope their search for new premises will be an opportunity to expand the service even further.

It currently opens on Mondays and Thursdays from 10am until 3pm during term time, but a new base could allow the team to operate on some evenings or weekends and during the school holidays.

Vanessa said: "Each week is really different in terms of how many people we get through the door. Some people even travel from as far as Boston and Spalding.

"We don't vet people and it's not means tested. It's a service for everyone.

"You can get people who don't have two pennies to rub together and others who are happy to leave a donation."

Although the service is currently free, donations will be more strongly encouraged to help cover the rent and maintenance costs when new premises are found.

The trustees have applied for charitable status under the new name Bumps and Beyond in preparation for the move.

The team want to stay within Stamford and have already looked at a couple of possible buildings, but are keen to hear from anyone with other ideas of where they could go.

Anyone who suggestions of premises can contact Vanessa on gazearnshaw@yahoo.co.uk or 07883 691548 or visit the Baby Basic Facebook page.