Stop babies and young children going hungry in the High Peak

Help us raise £4,000 for High Peak Baby Bank and feed hungry children

‘People are giving calpol to their babies so they sleep through the night because they can’t afford to feed them as formula is so expensive’.

No one should ever be in a situation where they are struggling so much they are drugging their babies to sleep with calpol or piriton to make them drowsy so they do not have to use extra formula as the children are sleeping longer.

However, this is the true reality facing parents across the High Peak right now.

Kirsty Jackson, founder of High Peak Baby Bank said: “We are in a cost of living crisis and people are really struggling.

“Bills are going up, the price of shopping has gone up and childcare costs have gone up but wages haven’t gone up and people really don’t have any money.

“In the last year we have seen the people we are helping jump from 50 per month to more than 80 and the demand for formula has skyrocketed."

The cost of formula is around £17 per tub and families can not cover the costs any longer.

Kirsty said: "“People are weaning their children at three months as food is cheaper than formula, there are others who are giving calpol to their babies so they sleep through the night or antihistamines to make their babies drowsy because they can’t afford to feed them as formula is so expensive.

“That is horrifying and Dickensian but it is happening.

“This is 2024 and Buxton is always voted as one the best places to live in the country but there are pockets of poverty right on our doorstep where people are in dire need.”

So to stand with the families in need in Buxton and the High Peak the Buxton Advertiser wants to raise £4,000 to support the charity.

That figure is the annual running costs for the group covering everything from insurance to bills and having money in the bank to buy emergency supplies when families ask for help.

Kirsty said: "Donations of formula are great but we never know what brand a baby is used to so for us it is better to have cash in the bank to be able to go out and buy the formula when we need it.”

Buxton Advertiser editor Phil Bramley added: "We have decided to support High Peak Baby Bank and feed hungry children and support struggling families.”

To read about the full campaign launch visit https://www.buxtonadvertiser.co.uk/news/people/help-us-raise-ps4000-for-high-peak-baby-bank-and-feed-hungry-children-4591588

About the High Peak Baby Bank:

High Peak Baby Bank provides clothing, equipment and essentials to families in need . They offer community events, baby weighing in sessions and playgroups. All families are encouraged and welcome to use the service free of charge. They save hundreds of items from landfill each year - reducing the impact of fast fashion and single use plastics.