Nicky Brennan and David Barker, two local residents saw a surge in child poverty and decided to start a new business and charity, Baby Aid Birmingham (BAB).
With many people in Birmingham already suffering from poverty and adversity, the Covid-19 pandemic made it more difficult for parents to provide essential items for their young children.
As she prepares for her delivery trip to needy families, Nicky Brennan says, “So many young kids are living in such poor conditions. I struggle to sleep at night knowing they don’t have the bare necessities to live”. When panic buying depleted shop shelves, she set up a Birmingham charity “out of need” at the outset of the pandemic to help poor young mothers who were struggling to find nappies and formula milk. What Nicky soon realised is that she had unearthed a hidden issue of poverty and isolation that was impacting many families.
Baby Aid Birmingham has grown continuously month by month, relocated into its own facilities, and now has a committed staff of volunteers, having started off working out of Nicky’s house and relying purely on individual donations. It now helps over 250 children under the age of five and their parents each month.
While the unexpected coronavirus pandemic prompted the establishment of Baby Aid Birmingham, the need for support for low-income or in-crisis families with small children existed before Covid-19 and will unfortunately remain after.
Representing Sparkhill, Nicky has served as a city councillor and knows how difficult it is to raise young children alone in tough circumstances. It is this knowledge and sympathy that drives her. “It’s a takeback for me from when I was a single parent who didn’t have anything for my kids, being far away from my family I had to rely on my neighbours to give me a helping hand”.
“We do not expect anything from people for them to receive assistance, nor do we limit the assistance we provide. We are here to assist people, not to shame or ridicule them,” said Nicky.
Co-director David Barker, who co-founded the charity with Nicky added: “I’m ecstatic to be a part of this. The need exists and is expanding. We’re talking to a lot more people who are vulnerable and in need”.
The charity accepts self-referrals as well as referrals from other organisations.
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