Little Village
Little Village is a charity that was founded on the belief that it takes a village to raise a child. They support families who are going through tough times and cannot afford all of the essential items they need for their children. They accept donations of excellent-condition, pre-loved items – from buggies to books, cots to clothes- from other local families and pass these on, contributing to the circular economy. Families are referred to them by over 1,900 professionals working in the community.
They provide a community for the families they see, building connections, local networks and facilitating emotional and practical support for parents. Everything they do is powered by an team of nearly 500 dedicated volunteers.
They are based in London, with hubs in Camden, Wandsworth, Southwark and Brent.
Since they launched in 2016, they’ve supported thousands of visits from families across London. In 2020 alone, they supported 7,281 children, more than double that of the previous year.
“We are so grateful to the Morris Charitable Trust for joining our village by funding our Safe Sleeping Solutions project in the borough of Islington. Every child deserves a safe place to sleep, but for 25% of the families referred to us, this is not the reality. Many families we support are pushed into sofa surfing, with multiple families crowded into accommodation that is just not big enough. We have supported mothers sleeping on the floor while their newborns slept on a sofa; mothers sharing single beds with three children; babies sleeping on towels and cushions. Without a good night’s sleep, it is hard for any parent to face the challenges of bringing up children, let alone those with multiple additional needs to manage. Thanks to the Morris Charitable Trust we can support Islington families by sourcing, buying mattresses for and delivering safe sleeping solutions which significantly improves the mental and physical health of both child and parent.”
Sophie Livingstone MBE
CEO of Little Village
