Shropshire baby charity founder meets the Princess of Wales

Leanne Simcoe, founder of Oswestry-based Little Stars, was one of five baby bank leaders who shared how they are helping families cope when they met the Princess Catherine at Sebby’s Corner in Barnet on Friday.

Little Stars provides a baby bank service to families who are referred by professionals, and hands out pre-loved items and clothing, donated by the local community as well as new items such as nappies.

Friday’s visit provided an opportunity for the charity’s founder to highlight the growing need for their services and the challenges they face.

For Leanne, this meant the opportunity to bring attention to the 26 per cent of children living in poverty within Shropshire and the vital need for Little Stars’ services.

Speaking about the visit, Leanne said: “To be invited to be part of the day has been very special. Since starting Little Stars in 2020, I could never have imagined that three years later I would have the honour of meeting HRH Princess of Wales to talk about the work Little Stars does in Shropshire.” She added that the cost of living crisis has made it an incredibly challenging time for many families, and Little Stars has seen a doubling in demand for its services each year since it launched.

With Christmas fast approaching, the charity is focusing on its Christmas campaign, Santa’s Little Stars, which will see it providing gifts to over 250 children who would otherwise go without a present this Christmas.

The Darwin Centre and Samuel Wood Shrewsbury are supporting this year's campaign, with collection points for new toys. Additionally, donations can be made through Santa's Little Stars' JustGiving page at justgiving.com/campaign/santaslittlestars2023