Hampshire Hero Awards 2021: Search for Basingstoke superstars continues - who will you nominate? HEARTWARMING stories of sacrifice and support have been flooding into The Basingstoke Gazette following the launch of the Hampshire Hero Awards. A headteacher who has worked hard to ensure her pupils have not missed out, a woman who set up a Facebook group to help those with mental health issues and a Romsey woman who has set up an emergency baby supply service are among a host of nominations that have been made. The Awards, with its principal sponsor Utilita, are aimed at those people and organisations in the county who deserve our thanks and recognition for all that they have done during the Covid-19 pandemic.
A BABY bank providing vital help to struggling families has secured premises in Romsey town centre. From Sunday February 28, Baby Necessities Southampton will be based at 4 Market Place where people will be able to drop off donations of specific items. The project, which is pending charity status, was set up in December last year by mums Hayleigh Jarvis and Lauren Denham who felt there was a need for this kind of service in the local area. Lauren, 31, said: “One of our partners, RSC Services, suggested they might have a place for us. “They currently rent the top two floors at 4 Market Place and the first floor was empty so we met with one of their members of staff who showed us around and it just went from there.
Two mums have set up a baby bank in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic to help parents in need and provide a service which they felt was missing to the local area. Hayleigh Jarvis, 30 and Lauren Denham, 31 launched Baby Necessities Southampton in December 2020 helped by Hayleigh’s sister Chloe. The project, based in North Baddesley, is pending charity status but has already helped dozens of families access items no-one should go without. Lauren, who has two daughters aged two and five, said: “We realised there wasn’t anything in the immediate area providing this kind of service. “We’ve got families that were expecting and were made redundant, lots of people’s circumstances have changed during the pandemic so there is definitely a need for this type of service.”