How volunteering is boosting baby bank charity

Staff at Franks Portlock have been volunteering their time to support a Wearside-based baby bank charity.

Love Amelia was founded by Steph Capewell following the heart-breaking death of her daughter Amelia in January 2018, who died just 12 minutes after being born. The charity now transforms the lives of families by providing essential items and equipment for children aged 0-16 years, who are experiencing poverty and hardship throughout the Tyne & Wear and County Durham area.

Franks Portlock staff were inspired to get involved as part of its social value commitment, pledging to commit 80 hours a year to volunteering within the Sunderland area. 

To date, six members of the environmental consultancy’s team, including Director Stephen Portlock, have committed 30 hours working in the Love Amelia warehouse, organising coats for children, as well as helping to sort clothing donations.

Carmel Hodgson, Human Resources Manager at Franks Portlock, explained: “Once again our dedicated team members at Franks Portlock have shown how big their hearts are by volunteering their time to such a worthy cause. It’s been so rewarding to support a charity which is dedicated to giving children the best start in life.

“Love Amelia is having a transformational impact on so many families, across the region and we were only too happy to lend a helping hand.”

Steph Capewell, Chief Executive at Love Amelia, said: “We are a small team but face a big task of responding to the needs of our community and supporting thousands of children living in poverty each year. The help we receive from volunteers is vital in letting us achieve this – we couldn’t do it without them.

“We are so grateful to the team at Franks Portlock for stepping up, giving back, and wholeheartedly embracing the mission and values of our charity. Their commitment to giving back to the Sunderland community is admirable, and we are excited to welcome them back for our Christmas campaign as we work to ensure that no child wakes up feeling forgotten on Christmas morning. Thank you to everyone at Franks Portlock for your passion and support, the team really helped to make a difference.”

Love Amelia runs weekday team volunteer sessions from 9.30am – 3pm, encouraging everyone to get involved with a variety of tasks from sorting clothes, checking equipment and testing toys. 

Since registering as a charity in 2019, Love, Amelia has supported more than 13,000 children and their families.