Baby Basics project at Worthing Hospital supports new mothers in need

A new charitable partnership at Worthing Hospital is helping to provide essential items and equipment to new mothers in need of support.
Cathy Peckham, her children and midwives at Worthing Hospital tell Tim Loughton MP about the Baby Basics projectCathy Peckham, her children and midwives at Worthing Hospital tell Tim Loughton MP about the Baby Basics project
Cathy Peckham, her children and midwives at Worthing Hospital tell Tim Loughton MP about the Baby Basics project

Cathy Peckham, 35, from Worthing, launched a local branch of the charity Baby Basics after giving birth to twins at Worthing Hospital a year and a half ago.

She decided she wanted to give something back by volunteering to help mothers in need of greater support.

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Baby Basics provides for families who are unable to provide for themselves, including teenage mums, women in care, people seeking asylum and women fleeing domestic abuse or trafficking.

A Moses Basket of clothing, toiletries and baby equipment will be gifted to any mothers in need.

Juliette Phelan, midwifery matron, said: “We regularly look after very vulnerable women at Worthing Hospital who may have nothing for their new baby.

“Currently, we offer them beautiful hand-knitted baby clothes generously donated by local knitters and wash bags assembled by our Women’s Institute, which are always gratefully received.

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“Now, we are excited to be able to bring all the donations together so they can be coordinated by Cathy and her Baby Basics charity, giving these women vital support at the start of their motherhood.”

Tim Loughton, the MP for East Worthing and Shoreham, and the mayor and mayoress of Worthing met Cathy at Worthing Hospital on Christmas Eve, where they found out more about the scheme.

Mr Loughton said: “It has been an absolute pleasure to meet Cathy, one of my constituents, and see the love and care she puts into the Moses Basket of gifts she creates for vulnerable women.

“The wonderful work she is doing with the trust is of course particularly poignant at this time of year, echoing as it does the story of the Christmas Nativity and gifts for a newborn baby.”

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To find out more about the project, search for @babybasicsshoreham on Facebook.

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