Families can bank on charity shop for support

HAVING never heard the term baby bank, I was unsure what to expect when entering Tyneside Community Shop in Wallsend, but racks of toys and clothes for children and adults ranging in prices of 30p to £3 was a wonderful surprise.

- Georgia Cuthbertson visits a shop that is providing vital help to parents

This is a charity shop with a twist, with a range of cheap or free resources to those in our communities who need it most.

The shop has clothes for babies to children to adults, as well as other items found in a charity shop, but all under £10. The money made from the items goes straight back into the charity, either paying the rent or being used to buy extra supplies such as nappies when needed.

Started two years ago by founders Shakira Robson and Melanie Rae, the bank now has 14 dedicated volunteers who sort through donations and pack up needed items for referrals, which has been in constant need since opening.

"What we do here is we fulfil the gap that food banks don't fulfil. So we provide everything else a family might need. They don't have the capacity to store all that sort of stuff so they'll refer people to us and we refer people to them, between us we kind of support the whole family that way," said Shakira.

Families can also be referred by professional services, but Shakria believes that more than five times the amount that are referred through these services are walk-ins.