You may be familiar with the phrase “it takes a village to raise a child”, but for many disadvantaged families in the UK, it takes a Little Village to ensure that they have the essentials their children need.
This year we celebrated our 25th year in business. Having spent the past quarter of a century helping people to buy their homes, we realise and appreciate how lucky we and our clients are. There are so many people out there for whom the idea of home ownership isn’t possible, and who are struggling to even buy clothes and toys for their children.
That’s why we are proud to have recently partnered with Little Village, a charity that supports families across London who are experiencing tough times and cannot afford essential items for their children under five. They run a baby bank service, collecting pre-loved items from other families and passing them on to those who need support, as well as providing advice and signposting to families. They have grown to be one of the largest baby banks in the UK, supporting over 17,000 children since their launch in 2016.
Giving something meaningful
We didn’t want to just hand a monetary donation over to a charity and pat ourselves on the back for doing a good deed. Financial donations are vital for charity work, of course, and this is a part of our partnership. But we were keen to do something more meaningful, too.
So, First Financial will be supporting Little Village in a number of ways throughout the year ahead. We are particularly excited about joining some of their incredible volunteers at their hubs across London to help sort, pack and bundle bespoke packages for families who need some support. All our staff will be given a minimum of one extra day of paid holiday in order to carry out this volunteer work.
Little Village’s vision is that every child in the capital should have the essential things they need to thrive – not simply survive – and they are clear that everyone can play a part in achieving that goal. That’s a mission that really resonated with us and helped us realise that Little Village is the perfect charity partner for First Financial.
Sophie Livingstone, Little Village’s CEO, said this about the partnership :
“Partnerships are at the core of Little Village’s operations and being chosen by First Financial is a fantastic opportunity for us to get to know a new community of supporters. We are looking forward to collaborating with them to raise our profile and meet the unfortunate increased demand for the services we provide.”
Little Village relies on the generosity of companies, individuals and community groups for funding, donations of preloved baby and children’s items and volunteers. If you would like to find out more about how to get involved, please either visit their website or contact .