THERE were heartfelt celebrations as a community came together to celebrate the official opening of a Chester charity's larger new base.

The bigger KidsBank Chester facility, at the former Loves of Chester garage on Garden Lane, will allow more donated clothes and equipment to be stored, improving the lives of even more families in need.

Scores of guests gathered at the Northgate Church – KidsBank Chester's previous home – to listen to speeches from the founder and director of operations at KidsBank Chester, Cathy Pettingale, as well as chair of trustees Jenny McGrath, the Lord Mayor of Chester Martyn Delaney, Chester Town Crier David Mitchell and social worker Danni Millington.

Visitors were then taken to the KidsBank site to see the ribbon officially cut on the new premises.

Janice Parker, KidsBank Chester volunteer, The Lord Mayor Martyn Delaney, Sarah Love, Stuart Love, The Town Crier David Mitchell and Carla Brannon, KidsBank volunteer. Picture: Sarah White Photography.

Janice Parker, KidsBank Chester volunteer, The Lord Mayor Martyn Delaney, Sarah Love, Stuart Love, The Town Crier David Mitchell and Carla Brannon, KidsBank volunteer. Picture: Sarah White Photography.

KidsBank Chester encourages recycling of children's clothing, equipment and toys, providing good-quality new and pre-owned baby items to families in need.

Speaking in front of assembled guests, founder Cathy Pettingale explained how the charity first came about.

She said: "I recently read Child Poverty Action Group's poverty report, and they reported that 49 per cent of children, being brought up in single-parent families, live in poverty.

Cathy Pettingale, founder and director of operations at KidsBank Chester. Picture: Sarah White Photography.

Cathy Pettingale, founder and director of operations at KidsBank Chester. Picture: Sarah White Photography.

"And behind statistics, there are people. There are people's lives and it was one of those lives I listened to, that got KidsBank going.

"I sat down one evening with a cup of tea to watch the news and a mum was sharing about the choices she had to make. Choices between heating, clothing, food.

"You know, I was just overwhelmed and I just started crying. And I thought we need to do something about this.

"The thought just popped into my head, word for word: What you need is Kids Bank – like the foodbank, but for children, nought to five.

"I just sat there and thought 'that's a great idea, who are you going to get to do that?'

"Well, here I am and we got together with some like-minded friends."

Inside the new KidsBank Chester centre. Picture: Sarah White Photography.

Inside the new KidsBank Chester centre. Picture: Sarah White Photography.

In May 2019, KidsBank Chester received its first referral, and the charity has gone from strength to strength since, helping an increasing range of families.

The new base, for example, will not only allow more volunteers to work safely at the site, but will mean a larger age range of clothing can be stocked, for children aged 0-12, while the charity now helps families across Chester, Ellesmere Port and Flintshire.

Cathy explained how the charity had helped such people as "the 14-year-old girl who found herself pregnant with little or no support", or grandparents suddenly finding themselves with care and control of their grandchildren, or "the little toddler who has nappies down round his knees because his mum was trying to eke out the nappies that she had, waiting for us to deliver some more."

Cathy added: "We're blessed to be able to help these families...and you guys are part of that.

"There've been times when we've not had enough money to buy nappies, but you rock up with a car full of nappies.

"And even though we've helped about 1,700 children with referrals, Christmas giving, latterly the uniform bank and emergency packs and walk-ins, we feel that we're just scratching the surface.

"We've been able to go up to age 12, and even that isn't enough – we get requests for 12-13, 13-14, 14-15, but we do what we can. There is no boundary as far as I am concerned."

Cathy added one such recent initiative, the uniform bank, saw the "floodgates opened" as over 300 items of school uniform were given out to meet demand.

Danni Millington, social worker. Picture: Sarah White Photography.

Danni Millington, social worker. Picture: Sarah White Photography.

Social worker Danni Millington explained how the work of KidsBank makes her job easier when working with families going through tough times.

She said: "There's just something so special going on here. It's helped me and so many of my colleagues for a lot of families who are struggling.

"I am the scariest person to meet and I try to be as nice as possible. But to come with either a pack of nappies or a gift for them, I cannot tell you how much KidsBank has allowed me to be able to do my job so much better, because I need their guards down, and they start to talk to me, I can help them so much more."

Jenny McGrath, chair of trustees at KidsBank Chester, thanked the Chester Bluecoat Charity for providing a three-year grant to allow the charity to rent a larger space, as well as Stuart and Sarah Love of Loves Garage, who cut the ribbon on the charity's new home.

Bonnie Wallis and Debbie McCauley, Morrisons Community Champions. Picture: Sarah White Photography.

Bonnie Wallis and Debbie McCauley, Morrisons Community Champions. Picture: Sarah White Photography.

Thanks were also extended to Morrisons, who have helped provide office space at the new facility to be used as the new Morrisons Community Room, rent-free, by local support groups working with families.

The Lord Mayor of Chester, Martyn Delaney, said: "Through your generosity, you've enabled the increasing capacity to help your children with the opening of the new premises. On behalf of the city of Chester, we thank you and trustees and the many volunteers who've made this work possible and we wish you every success in the future."

KidsBank Chester is always on the lookout to help more vulnerable families, no matter what their circumstances.

Families are referred to the charity by midwives, health visitors, social workers and other front-line professionals.

The KidsBank Chester website provides information on what people can donate, how to donate, and how families can receive help at https://kidsbankchester.com/

The charity is currently urging fundraisers to host pyjama parties, where they meet up at someone's house and have a pyjama party, while also donating a new pair of children's pyjamas. The collection of pyjamas can then be donated to the charity.