Home-Start Bedfordshire proudly joins the Small Charity Week 2024 celebration, recognising the vital and valuable contributions small charities make to communities in the UK.
Small charities like ours play a significant role in helping local families in Bedfordshire. Over the past 40 years, our cause has been driven by local parents with lived experience and a deep understanding of local issues. Alongside our free services, as a charity we represent the voluntary sector on a variety of local authority boards and meetings.
Between April 2023 and March 2024, our charity’s services supported 326 parents with 539 children. A further 40 children received the Helping Hands project in local primary schools. Much of this impact was made by our wonderful volunteers. Home-Start volunteers are members of the community who use their experience of looking after children to help local families in need.
Being a small charity enables us to respond quickly to new and emerging needs. However, it also leaves us more exposed to challenges. The cost of living crisis, the lasting effects of the pandemic, and ten years of austerity mean inequalities in communities are widening. Increasing demand for services, falling income and increased costs leave small charities like ours under more pressure than ever.
This Small Charity Week, please consider supporting small charities like ours. When small charities are stronger, the communities they support are stronger too.