A charity that helps families in Bedford said demand was growing "faster than donations".

When Faces BabyBank started in January 2023, it was helping about 1,100 families a year. In 2024, that number was about 1,200, but in 2025 it jumped to 2,098.

The charity said it was "supporting more families than ever before as more and more people were struggling "with the ongoing cost-of-living crisis".

Michaela Martindale, its chief executive, said many were "returning for help several times rather than requiring just one emergency referral".

The charity said figures from the Baby Bank Alliance showed baby banks in the UK supported more than 400,000 children in 2025.

In the same year, Faces BabyBank handed out 36,400 items of children's clothing, 54,080 nappies, 536 tubs of formula milk, 298 newborn starter packs and 3,768 books and toys.

It has also given cots, Moses baskets, prams, highchairs, bedding, baby baths and other essentials.

It said it relies on donations and always needs good quality goods or financial donations to purchase essential items when stock is unavailable.

The charity said more parents in work were "still unable to afford essential items because wages are not keeping pace with household costs".

Martindale said: "Every week we meet parents who are making impossible choices between paying the rent, heating their home or buying the essentials their baby needs.

"The cost-of-living crisis hasn't gone away – it has simply changed, and families are living with its effects for much longer.

"We're supporting more families than ever before, and we're increasingly seeing repeat referrals because people simply aren't recovering financially."

She continued: "Housing is another huge issue.

"Many families are living in temporary accommodation or overcrowded homes where there isn't even room for a cot or pushchair."

She said the Bedford community "continues to be incredibly generous, but demand is growing faster than donations".

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