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We rely on the support of our local community for food donations, volunteering and finances. Can you help us stop UK hunger?

Our foodbank works using a voucher referral system. Find out more about how we work.

Our current shopping list for all food.

Where we are
Get directions & opening times

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Front Door for Families provides support and guidance for parents, carers, members of the public, young people and professionals.

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On Thursday 30 November from 2:30am - 7:30am, you won't be able to contact Childline whilst we do some important maintenance to our systems. This means that 1-2-1 chats, calling and messages to Childline will be unavailable. You'll still be able to use the Childline website for advice and information.

If you're in danger or it's an emergency, you should always call 999

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Get help and advice about a wide range of issues, call us on 0800 1111, talk to a counsellor online, send Childline an email or post on the message boards.

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Our vision is a community in which families and carers all have the essentials for their children.

We take pre-loved and new item donations for babies and children up to age 10, and redistribute them to families facing financial hardship via various existing family services in Brighton & Hove in Sussex.

In the most recent Child Poverty Index it was estimated that 19.6% of Brighton & Hove's dependent children are living in poverty. Brighton & Hove as a city has high rates of children in need, in care and with child protection plans and/or who have been referred to children's social care services.

Pelican Parcels aims to provide all essentials from cots and clothes, toys and books, prams and play mats for families from birth up to the age of 10. Full list of items you can donate.

All donations go directly to the families at no cost to them.

We support children and parents in Sussex experiencing hardship by working in partnership with local council services such as health visitors, social workers, women's shelters and other charities and agencies.

We do not support individuals or families directly. If you need help, please ask your health visitor, children's centre or social worker to contact us and make a referral on your behalf.

If you are a health professional or work for a social service agency, please email PelicanParcels@outlook.com..

Our service is provided free of charge with no assessment criteria. All items need to be collected from our offices by the agency making the referral.

Pelican Parcels is a charity designed to support disadvantaged families in Brighton & Hove.

The charity was founded by Shelley and James Bennett in 2018. The idea came about when they wanted to gift some of their cherished, but no longer used, baby items to a family in need. After realising that such a service did not exist locally they decided to start Pelican Parcels with the aim to provide and recycle children's items to disadvantaged families.

We have four Trustees:

Shelley has three gorgeous children and also runs a communications consultancy. She is a Trustee for two charities in Brighton.

James is a dad to the same three children and works in financial services.

Vic Shead is an incredibly experienced marketer, having worked with many top arts organisations in London and the South East as well as with various charities.

Carla Pannett is mum to two amazing girls and also a highly accomplished fundraiser running multi-million pound campaigns.

Pelican Parcels is a registered charity in England and Wales (1179866). We operate on a not-for-profit basis, supporting disadvantaged families and carers in Brighton & Hove, Sussex.

Thank you so much for considering donating. It's through generous donations of items that your children have loved or made good use of, that we will be able to help so many local families in need.

Please clean and check any items you bring to us as we want the families to feel like they are receiving a special gift that will put a smile on their face.
*PLEASE NOTE DUE TO CORONAVIRUS WE ARE ONLY ACCEPTING LIMITED DONATIONS BY APPOINTMENT ONLY* Please see our Facebook page for posts on items we can currently accept for rehoming.
Occasionally, we may be unable to re-home donated items. If this is the case, we reserve the right to sell such items and use the funds to help us to support local families in need.

You can also check our Facebook page for updates or Contact us with any queries.

Pelican Parcels office is based at Unit 9, Industrial House, Conway Street in Hove easily accessible by train, bus or car. Click here for a map.

HOW TO FIND US:

Directions if driving: Turn into the Industrial House car park from either Ellen Street or Fonthill Road. There is a loading bay with a buzzer and we will come down to take donations.

As a small charity we are not able to offer a collection service but you can stop right outside our premises and we're more than happy to help you unload your car. Alternatively we're very close to major bus routes and only 5 minutes from Hove train station.

If you are not local, please see this map of other baby banks in the UK as there may be another charity in your area as there are several around the UK including the amazing Stripey Stork in Surrey and the international inspiration that is St Kilda Mums in Australia (thanks to them and everyone involved so far in getting us underway).

If you have items for babies and children that you no longer use and would like to donate them, do please bring them along to our office so that we can pass them on to a family who really need them.

Here's what you need to do before you bring your items to us:

Please check the list of baby and children's items we can rehome.

If the items you have match what we can rehome, please either email us with a list of your items, or check our 'How to donate' tab to find out where and when to take your items.

Please note we cannot offer a collection service.

If you have a cot, pram, pushchair or highchair, these items have mandatory safety standards please check our safety checklist to ensure they meet mandatory safety standards. We would be hugely appreciative if you can take a few minutes to read these standards. If you are unsure whether your donation is safe please email us.

Please ensure that your donations nice and clean when you bring them to us as then we can process and distribute them more quickly.

What we do NOT re-home
We do not rehome used car seats, mattresses, electrical items, potties/toilet seats, door bouncers, Bumbo seats, used electric breast pumps or maternity or adult clothing. Please review this list of what we can rehome and if in doubt please contact us.

We need volunteers to to help sort through donations, package up parcels and undertake admin tasks. If you can offer a minimum of half a day a week, we'd love to hear from you. Drop us an email.

As a new charity any financial help you can offer would be very gratefully received. Although we are aiming to cover our core costs such as the building rent and utility bills from grants, we still need to raise funds to buy things like mattresses and high request items such as baby formula, nappies and wipes. You can donate money online or get in touch if you'd like to discuss making a donation. We also have an Amazon wishlist if you'd like to purchase items for us directly.

Want to do a sponsored event? Having a raffle or tombola? Running a race? Maybe you could you help run a fundraising event for Pelican Parcels? Please do get in touch if you'd like to discuss fundraising for us.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I drop off items?

You can drop items to us on our donation days at our Industrial House office. Check our How to Donate section for details of upcoming opening hours.

Why do you need money when you're just recycling items?

There are big running costs to having our wonderful building where we can receive, store and sort all the donations. Also in addition to the rent and utilities, Pelican Parcels also pays for other items such as new mattresses for cots and cotbed, or for formula and nappies and a range of other items. It all adds up!

Where are you?

Our office address is Unit 9, Industrial House, Conway Street, Hove, BN3 3LW. Click here for a map.

Do you collect items?

As we are run by volunteers we are unable to offer a collection service. However, our offices in central Brighton are very accessible by bus, train and car.

Should I clean my pram or highchair before donating it to you?

Yes please! We are a small team and if donated things arrive clean and ready to go then that speeds up the process of helping families.

What about safety standards?

There are some mandatory safety standards for particular items such as: prams/buggies, cots/cotbeds and highchairs.
You may like to check this product safety checklist to ensure your donation meets current safety standards

I have a other furniture (sofas, table and chairs etc) I would like to donate...

We can recommend that for these items you contact Emmaus - a charity that helps the homeless.

"As the manager of Brighton & Hove's City Council's Family Information Service (FIS), my team has noticed an increase in the number of families facing financial hardship and contacting our service for support. Welfare reform, the insecurity and high cost of housing along with a high instance of mental and physical health issues in the city have all impacted on the ability of families to cope with day to day living costs and the expense of additional items needed at various stages in a family's life.

At the Family Information Service, we offer advice and support to families and make referrals to foodbanks, the Local Discretionary Fund and apply to charitable trusts for grants. However, there is a real gap when sourcing items in emergencies locally, or when the criteria are not met for assistance...We fully support the work Pelican Parcels is trying to do."

Julia Daborn

"I really want to thank you for all the items that was given to me. It was more than ever thought I would receive from baby vests to a whole buggy, moses basket etc. I don't know what I would have done without all the donations. I'm a young mum and I'm not working so I was stressing so much, plus my baby came 2 months early so I really not prepared it. I had nothing for the baby! So again I just want to say a huge Thank you again for your generosity it has really helped me and my baby more than you would imagine. <3 I plan to donate once my baby has grown out of his clothes."

mum Leanne

"The mum who received the clothes and shoes for her 2 children was so overwhelmed by the generosity of the two big bags she cried. She rang me the other day to say to pass on a Huge Thank you to you all and had been going through all the clothes her two had grown out of and wanted to give back to you if she could so I said I would find out if you were taking donations?"

Early Years Visitor

"The service I work for has used yours for many of our families and you are making a huge impact. This kind of support is life changing for many families, not just because of the practical things they receive but because of the message it carries. They know someone cares, and that there is hope - and most of all that there is kindness in this world."

Social worker

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Our vision is a community in which families and carers all have the essentials for their children. We take pre-loved and new item donations for babies and children up to age 10, and redistribute them to families facing financial hardship via various existing family services in Brighton & Hove in Sussex.

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Online Safety Videos - Knowsley City Learning Centres

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Knowsley City Learning Centres provide a range of creative media, educational support, teacher CPD and computing curriculum lesson ideas for schools.

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What is mental health and wellbeing

Mental health includes emotional, psychological, and social health. Mental wellbeing can be described as feeling good and functioning well.

Our mental health and wellbeing affects how we think, feel and act.

Get help in a mental health emergency, if you or someone you know is at risk of harming themselves or others.

What you can do

Read the 5 ways to mental wellbeing leaflet, for suggestions of things you can do in your everyday life to improve your mental health and wellbeing.

NHS choices has information on mental health related issues, including stress, anxiety and depression.

Mind Brighton & Hove can support you, and they have a directory of mental health and wellbeing apps you can download for free.

You can also find apps recommended by the NHS in the NHS apps library.

Take the every mind matters quiz to get simple ideas to help improve your mental health and wellbeing.

For courses to help you understand and manage your mental health and wellbeing, phone Sussex Recovery College on 01273 749 500, or visit their website.

If you want to be more active, find free and low cost activities supported by Brighton & Hove City Council.

Reading Well Books on Prescription are self-help books that help with stress, depression, anxiety and dementia. The books are recommended by health experts and people with experience of these conditions.

Getting help if you're struggling

While it's normal to feel anxious, low or lonely at times, worsening mental health could indicate the need for outside help.

If you find yourself with very poor mental health and aren't able to pull yourself out of feelings of anxiety, depression, or fear, it's important to reach out for help:

Sussex Mental Healthline - freephone 0300 5000 101 - provides 24/7 support from registered clinicians. As well as crisis support it provides psychological support to anyone with general concerns about their mental health, and if needed they can refer you for local assessment and treatment.

Samaritans - call 116 123 - 24hrs a day, 365 days a year.

Community Roots - online or freephone 0808 196 1768 - a network of local services committed to supporting good mental health and wellbeing in Brighton & Hove

Suicide prevention training

Find out about Grassroots training courses. They can help you learn what to do if someone's suicidal.

Help if you've lost someone as a result of suicide

If you've been bereaved by suicide, you may find the help is at hand booklet helpful.

Where you can get help

If you're worried about your mental health or wellbeing speak to your GP. They can give you advice about the support and treatment that's available.

Contact the Brighton and Hove Wellbeing Service to find out about talking therapies, workshops and courses. They can support with things like:

depression

anxiety or worry

social anxiety

panic attacks

traumatic memories

obsessive compulsive disorder

Find mental health and wellbeing services on the the NHS Sussex Partnership Trust website. These services are free, but your GP has to refer you.

If you need help to express your views and wishes, find out how an advocate could help you.

More information

Find other local mental health services on the My Life directory.

Get more information about mental health services on NHS.UK.

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Support with your mental health and wellbeing

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Mental health includes emotional, psychological, and social health. Mental wellbeing can be described as feeling good and functioning well. Our mental health and wellbeing affects how we think, feel and act. Get help in a mental health emergency, if you or someone you know is at risk of harming themselves or others.

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Do you and your child know how to spot persuasive digital marketing tactics in apps and games? Check out this learning module to learn how to support and protect your family.

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Watching and browsing online - parents guide

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Watching and browsing online - parents guide

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This guide will help you navigate parental controls, set healthy screen time habits, and encourage safe, age-appropriate online activities.

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Supporting children at different ages with their use of technology

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Supporting children at different ages with their use of technology

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Fundraise for us to support our vital work – Place2Be

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Find out how you can fundraise to support our work and make a difference to children and young people’s mental health.

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Service update: We are currently experiencing extended waiting times for assessment in some parts of our adult service. Our team will review your referral as promptly as possible and where we have longer waits, someone will soon be in touch with you to discuss your needs.

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Mental health support for adults in Sussex

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Feeling unable to cope, worried you may hurt yourself or somebody else and/or experiencing suicidal feelings? For immediate help For same or next day help You can get help with… Continue reading Mental health support for adults in Sussex

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Beacon House Therapeutic Services & Trauma Team | 2024 | www.beaconhouse.org.uk

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Beacon House Therapeutic Services & Trauma Team | 2024 | www.beaconhouse.org.uk

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Beacon House is passionate about developing freely available resources so that knowledge about the repair of trauma and adversity is in the hands of those who need it. Please feel free to use our resources in your home or work setting.
All we ask is that you credit our team for the information and design using this credit: Image or information courtesy of Beacon House Therapeutic Services & Trauma Team | 2022 | www.beaconhouse.org.uk
As a specialist trauma service, our resources are written using a 'trauma lens' and offer information, ideas and strategies from this perspective. We know that there are other perspectives and overlapping experiences, meaning that 'one size doesn't fit all'. We are working to be as inclusive as possible and alongside this acknowledge that not everything we produce will be relevant for everyone.

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Beacon House is passionate about developing freely available resources so that knowledge about the repair of trauma and adversity is in the hands of those who need it. Please feel free to use our resources in your home or work setting.

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Online Safety Newsletter Primary May 2025_PDF_City Academy Whitehawk

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Online Safety Newsletter Primary June 2025_PDF_City Academy Whitehawk

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Advice and support for families

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While this sis a staff based info letter, there is plenty here to support parents and carers too