A Maud mum has described the moment she burst into tears as her baby bank charity was handed the keys to a former council office.
The building will become the new base for Bairnecessities Baby Bank, allowing them to support families across the north-east.
The charity will take over the Aberdeenshire Council’s former area office on Nethermuir Road for just £1.
It has been sitting unused since the pandemic, and was declared surplus in April 2022.
Founder and mum-of-three Helen Feeney said she was “over the moon” when the handover was approved.
“I just cried with relief and happiness,” she smiled.
“The Bairnecessities team are just normal average Joe mums, people who want to help.
“We didn’t really know what we were doing so it was a long journey for us and we had a lot to learn.
“So to get to this point, we’re just absolutely relieved.”
Mum reveals long road to taking over old office
Volunteers took a “long shot” at the transfer two years ago, but council bosses looked at their initial proposal and weren’t convinced.
Determined to see the takeover come to fruition, the committee had a rethink and worked with other charities to get some additional support.
This led to Bairnecessities getting the full backing of national charity Save the Children.
Volunteers reworked their business plan and resubmitted it in September.
Eventually there was enough to get the plan over the line.
“Every time it was a ‘no’ I took it personally because I created this right from scratch, I built this,” Helen admitted.
“Once Save the Children came on board, that was a massive boost for us because they could see our value.”
‘I never realised the amount of poverty that was local to me’
Helen set the charity up in 2016 to provide pre-loved essential baby items to those in North Aberdeenshire who need them.
She decided to do so after finding she had a “ridiculous amount of stuff” following the birth of her second child.
Maud-based Helen initially thought she could sell it all, but didn’t think she would make much profit…
Her work as a community nursery nurse with the NHS helped bring Bairnecessities to life.
Helen explained: “In my day job I see a lot of families and babies, but I never realised the amount of poverty that was local to me, I just didn’t see it.
“I thought, how can there be so much deprivation in this day and age?
“Then on the flip side, there’s me who’s got all this stuff that I don’t need anymore, and I don’t need the money to sell it.
“Surely there’s a way that we can just take these items and give them to families who do need it, and that’s how it started.”
Charity’s journey from granny’s garage to dedicated Maud hub
Helen initially stored items donated from others in her granny’s garage in Aberchirder.
But it wasn’t long before things evolved.
Just a year later, a committee was established and Bairnecessities soon became a registered charity.
It only takes referrals from professional partners such as heath visitors, social workers or midwives.
It provides clothing for youngsters aged up to 18 months as well as goods including cots, prams, Moses baskets, bottles, changing mats, little bundles of toys and toiletries.
Bairnecessities also runs a Warm and Dry campaign that provides shoes, boots and jackets for youngsters up to primary school age.
But Helen hopes to expand this when the charity moves to its new building, which will be an improvement on its existing “cold” warehouse in New Leeds.
To date, Bairnecessities has provided support to around 500 families across Aberdeenshire.
What will the charity do with the former council office?
The charity wants to create a community space at Maud for specialists to come in and run support sessions.
It could also host a mum’s group to allow mothers across the region to get together, chat about their experiences and offer support to one another.
Meanwhile, sessions for families who have children with additional support needs could be set up there as Helen feels this is lacking in more rural areas.
A structural survey estimated it would cost around £40,000 to bring the former depot up to modern standards.
The group are aiming to get it ready and open within two years – and there is a big goal in mind to keep everyone motivated.
“I would hope that by the start of 2026 we could move in, what would be perfect is that will be our ten year anniversary,” Helen said.
“What a lovely celebration that would be.”
Why did Bairnecessities choose Maud?
Helen revealed she wanted the charity to have its base in central Buchan due to the vast geographical area it covers.
“We have people from Banff and Macduff, across to Fraserburgh and Peterhead, down to Ellon and Inverurie, Huntly and everywhere in-between.
“From Maud we are 20 minutes from everyone, we are smack bang in the middle.”
Do you have any messages for Bairnecessities? Let us know in our comments section below
Currently, more than 30 active volunteers help out when they can, even if it’s just for an hour a week.
But Helen also has her core team she “couldn’t do without” who help to keep everything running smoothly.
However, the charity will never turn away anyone willing to give up their spare time to lend a hand.
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