An Oxfordshire baby bank at "real risk of closure" has shared the impact it has on local families. 

Bicester Baby Bank, which was set up in 2019, issued a desperate appeal for help from the public via social media last week.

The baby bank supports families in Oxfordshire, providing baby essentials for those in need. 

The charity said since it started it has helped more than 1200 local families with essentials for their babies and children, directly impacting more than 2500 children in the local area.

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It has also supported families experiencing debt, low-income, unemployment, homelessness, recovery from addiction, poor mental health, those escaping domestic abuse, young parents, children in foster care, and refugees from Ukraine, Afghanistan and Turkey.

A statement posted on the charities Instagram page last week said: "Our running costs are over £25,000 a year, and the majority of this spend is on premises to ensure our families have a safe and central space they can access to get the help they need.

"Like many charities we are at a real risk of closure.

"We recently lost a major funding stream which paid our rent and we now need your help to stay open and keep supporting local families."

The bank is appealing for anyone with an empty premises in a central location that they could lease for low or no cost to get in touch, as well as anyone who can help fundraise for the bank.

It is also appealing for anyone who knows of funding options, anyone who can help fundraise and anyone who is able to donate funds to support the bank to reach out. 

Trustee Sophie Thompson said: "We are the only baby bank serving the local area which covers the age range 0-16.

"In Oxford there are services which cater to newborns, and in Banbury there is a smaller baby bank, but the baby bank in Buckingham has recently closed.

"Many of our families do not have transport, particularly refugee families, and therefore a locally accessible baby bank which covers all age children is essential.

"If the baby bank closed more children in the local area would experience poverty in terms of food, hygiene, safe sleep and clothing."

Chair trustee Debbie Clack added that they would be "devastated" if the bank was forced to close.

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"We have built relationships with families who rely on our service and we would be concerned for those families if we were no longer able to offer support," Ms Clack said.

"The professionals who also rely on us for the families they serve would have huge pressure to find another service like us, we have great relationships with these professionals and they rely on us for a whole wealth of items."

Bicester Baby Bank can be contacted via email: info@bicesterbabybank.org.uk