After the weekend-long platinum jubilee celebrations, The Duchess of Cambridge was back to Royal duties with a visit to Little Village in Brent. Little Village is the London-based largest baby bank network, with eight locations across the capital. The Duchess joined staff, volunteers, and supporters at the charity’s Brent hub in the UNCLE building in Wembley Central and helped to pick out clothes and equipment for a family who was also present.
If you remember in 2020 during the pandemic, The Duchess of Cambridge initiated a joint venture that brought together many big retailers in the UK to donate products to baby banks. Little Village was one of the beneficiaries of the initiative.
About the visit, Kensington Palace said, “The charity equips families with clothes, toys, and essential items for babies and children up to the age of five, including nappies, beds, buggies, and toiletries, as well as linking them with key services. Families are referred to the charity via a network of professionals such as midwives, health visitors, and social workers, and can either receive items through home deliveries or by coming into their local center. Since launching in 2016, Little Village’s team of more than 600 volunteers has responded to nearly 20,000 requests for support across London, reaching over 22,000 children. Little Village Brent opened in November 2021 and aims to help around 40 families from the borough of Brent each week. During her visit, the Duchess will meet some of the center’s volunteers as they sort through donations, and hear more about how Little Village works with each individual family to understand their personal needs and preferences in order to provide a tailored package of support.”
The Duchess learned about Little Village’s work providing essential equipment and clothing to families of under-5s. She also heard about how Little Village volunteers provide emotional support and practical advice over the phone to parents. The bundle packed by The Duchess was the 20,000th such package to be given out by the charity.
About the visit from The Duchess of Cambridge, Sophie Livingston MBE, CEO of Little Village said, “We were all absolutely delighted to welcome The Duchess of Cambridge to Little Village Brent. She met some of our staff and volunteers and helped to pick out some beautiful items of clothing for the family’s two young children. The Duchess really took her time to talk to our staff and volunteers, who all said how down-to-earth she was and how engaged and interested she was in the work of Little Village. This is set to be our busiest year yet, and we expect to see a thousand more children than we did in 2021 we know that baby banks across the country are facing similar demand. This boost from The Duchess will help to shine a light on the work of baby banks and will hopefully lead to increased support for their much-needed work.”
Catherine met with the families that are being supported by the baby bank and heard how Little Village has helped them during the crisis. The Duchess of Cambridge also met with the volunteers working at the Little Village. Volunteer Faiza said: “As a mother herself The Duchess really showed a lot of empathy and care about the work Little Village is doing. She was lovely and engaging and was keen to hear about how families feel when they visit our baby bank. She was very interested in hearing about how much thought and care goes into the bundles we prepare for families.”
For the visit, once again, The Duchess of Cambridge chose a monochrome stylish look.
The Duchess was wearing Zara Inverted Lapel Long Blazer. Thanks to Georgie’s Mum and Heaven on Twitter for the id.
Catherine paired the blazer with a white top and her Roland Mouret Axon Wide-leg Trousers.
The Duchess of Cambridge was wearing her Gianvito Rossi’s ‘Gianvito 105’ Black pumps.
and carried Massimo Dutti Woven Leather Clutch. Thanks to Heaven on Twitter for the id.
Her Kiki McDonough Citrine Pear Drop Earrings finished the look.