Plymouth children's charity facing 'unprecedented' demand for items

A Plymouth charity which provides children with clothes, toys and bedding says there is an "unprecedented" level of need for its services.

The Children's Storehouse, similar to a foodbank but for children's items, said new registrations doubled in January,

The charity said it was in desperate need of cots, highchairs and prams.

Project manager Ruth Wellington said it was "very basic" items people could not afford.

The charity is particularly appealing for unopened packs of underwear for children.

Ms Wellington said: "There's been a huge change in demand in the last six months, but particularly since just before Christmas.

"A 100% change in demand. Whereas before we were registering through last year about 15 new families a month into the project, in January alone this year I've registered 30 new families."

Ms Wellington said families faced financial pressures due to the increased cost of living.

She said: "There's just no money left over for clothes, for toys, for shoes, uniform, those sort of things, that are very basic to children's upbringing and children's comfort."

Ms Wellington said the charity had helped a family recently where a child had been forced to wear their mother's socks due to not having any of their own.

"Obviously that causes ridicule amongst other children, and so we were able to actually provide socks amongst the clothes that we gave him," she said.

Sara Hladkij, who has been volunteering at the Children's Storehouse for the last seven years, said the charity was "just not getting" the same number of donations as in previous years.

She said: "Before people might have been able to just give them to us when their child had grown out of it, but I think people are now having to sell things because if they're able to get some money for it, then why wouldn't they?"

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