Our Story
As two Manchester mums with young children, we were inspired by a project in a nearby city. This church-based project aimed to provide practical help for new mothers, who could not afford the basic essentials necessary to look after their newborns.
We reached out to local midwives and health practitioners to find out if there was the same need in Greater Manchester, and in Spring 2015 we set up Early Essentials.
We set up drop off points in local churches, toddler groups and cafés for donations of clothing, blankets, Moses baskets and toiletries. The donations started to pour in! For the first year the project was run from a lounge, but we quickly outgrew that space and moved to a portacabin at a nearby charity-run café. Good quality Moses baskets were often difficult to get hold of, but in time we were blessed with support from Clair de Lune (local manufacturers of nursery bedding) and many local charity shops who reserved baskets for us.
In 2015 we were approached by some like-minded women from Stockport who wanted to set up in their area, followed by ladies in various locations who have a heart for helping Mums-to-be. In 2025 the team in Stockport left Early Essentials to set up ‘Early Life Baby Bank Stockport’ in partnership with Romiley Lifecentre, helped by a grant from Stockport Council. We therefore now have six operating EE teams in Manchester, Warrington (baskets provided from 2016), Peterborough (2017), Whitby (2021), Ballymoney (2021), and the centre of Wigan (2024). Between us we have helped over 5,000 women! (at February 2025)
In 2018 the Manchester team celebrated delivering their 500th moses baskets starter-packs. In 2019, as the demand was steadily increasing, we took steps to formally register Early Essentials as a charity - a CIO: Charitable Incorporated Organisation. This meant expanding the size and experience of the team to include Trustees.
The Manchester team continues to meet the increasing numbers of referrals, providing 1,000 in spring 2021, 2,000 in summer 2023, and 3,000 in spring 2025.
Early Essentials is now a well-known and well-used service. We are so proud and excited about the simplicity and effectiveness of the project. Early Essentials volunteers lovingly collect, sort and package a starter-pack of clothing, toiletries and essential baby items as an attractive gift to new mothers.
God is at the centre of Early Essentials as we are inspired and motivated by His heart for everyone. Every day we are able to continue – and every moses basket we provide – is thanks to His kindness, grace and provision. We want to demonstrate his unconditional love in all we do.
