Two women who have been best friends since the age of 11 hatched a plan to help dozens of families in Merseyside after a teary phone call
Two women who have been best friends since the age of 11 hatched a plan to help dozens of families in Merseyside after a teary phone call
What is It’s A Village – Wirral Baby Bank?
A teary phone call between two best friends sparked an idea that has helped dozens of families in Merseyside get the help they need. Kirsty Foley, 35, a midwife from Bebington, and, Amy Roberts, 35, from Claughton, have been best friends since the age of 11 when they met at Park High School.
They saw each other through their first boyfriends, becoming adults and even parents later down the line. But one night after getting home from a shift at work, Kirsty broke down into tears while thinking about a family she met that she wanted to help.
She explained that in her previous role in Liverpool, there were lots of different ways she could help support families. But once she arrived in Wirral, there were a lot less resources – especially after coronavirus.
The mum-of-four said: “I had a family that I needed to support, and I asked like, ‘so where do we refer to here on the Wirral?’ And they were just a bit like, oh, there isn’t anywhere.
“They still pulled together and managed to support the women, but it was reactive rather than proactive.”
After getting upset, Kirsty called Amy to talk about what was happening at work, and how she wished there was a service in Wirral to provide parents and expectant parents with essential baby items, including baby clothing, toiletries, nappies and safe-sleep essentials.
Amy, a mum-of-two, said: “She was in tears on the phone and I was like, lets just do [something about] it then.. come on, we can do it.”
After lots of research, It Takes A Village – Wirral Baby Bank, was born and the pair ran the charity out of St Joseph’s Parish Church in Upton Village.
The charity still have a base at the church, but quickly outgrew the space and were supported by Kangaroo Self Storage for a new unit in their Bromborough facility. But it wasn’t long again until the charity needed even more space and found their home in Thursby House, Bromborough.
After becoming a registered charity in January 2026, Wirral Baby Bank has helped 50 families, which works out at around five families per week by supplying baby basics from nappies and mosses baskets to prams and mattresses.
Kirsty said: “We sadly don’t see it [the economy] getting better any time soon, prices are even higher so then I think we’re going to see even more families in need.
“It’s sort of like a bit of a lifeline for them [families] because what else would they do?”
Amy said the charity has been a “lifeline” for her after being diagnosed with a rare form of blood cancer, Polycythemia Vera, in April 2024.
She said: “I was just feeling really exhausted all the time and I was having blood tests every week since. Then I got referred to a haematologist and then they diagnosed me.
“I was in limbo at the time because I was like, I’m not going to see my kids grow up, I’m going to die. But then the more I’ve researched into it and I spoke to the haematologist and it’s kind of eased that side of things because it is manageable. I am going to see my kids grow up.
“But The Baby Bank has really helped because I was a bit in a rut. I was like just at home every day on my own and I was sleeping my days away, basically.
“So having this to get up and do and make me feel good, it’s lovely. It makes me want to be up and out of the house and not sat in a heap of depression. So this has been a lifeline.”
Looking back at the charities journey made Kirsty think about her mum, who she lost to breast cancer in 2020. She described her as a woman who would “buy everything” when a new baby arrived in the family.
Kirsty said: “Whenever we had a new baby in the family, she’d buy everything. She’d absolutely love this. It would have also given her a bit of a purpose as well because she was ill too.
“He [my dad] loves it. When there are things at home, he always goes through it and has a little look. Over Christmas, we did a Christmas crib appeal to buy loads of mattresses and he was just like sat there like patting them all.”
It Takes A Village – Wirral Baby Bank is open to referrals from trusted professionals and partner organisations such as midwives, health visitors, social care, and community organisations.
The service supports parents, carers, babies, and young children by helping meet basic needs, promoting safe sleeping practices, and reducing financial pressure during pregnancy and the early years. The charity also accepts donations that are in a good condition.
Kirsty said: “We have had such as donations from Merseyside Police, Tesco, Asda, Boyes, Jireh church community, Wirral council, people’s postcode lottery, Kittiwake Platform, Unileaver and many many community members.”
For more information about It Takes A Village – Wirral Baby Bank, visit their website, Facebook and Instagram page.
