A STAY-at-home mum says she feels “constantly guilty” that she can’t afford to take her three kids on holiday and is “worried that they’re missing out”. 

Stacey Buttle, 37, lives in Tuckswood, Norwich, with husband Wayne, 40, and their children – Riley, 11, Kory, eight, and five-year-old Kayla.

Money has always been tight, but as well as struggling with spiralling bills and the recent cost of living crisis, Wayne lost his shop manager job in 2019 and has been unable to work since, after daughter Kayla was diagnosed with high-risk stage four Neuroblastoma in 2021. 

The family now rely on Universal Credit.

Stacey told Fabulous: “We have always lived close to the breadline and had to carefully budget, but we were able to get by – it just meant holidays were out of the question.

“The kids haven’t been abroad and we’ve only had one proper family holiday together, a trip to Butlins in Skegness in 2019, which my grandparents paid for.

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“They loved it so much and kept asking if we could go back. We thought we could probably just about afford to if we carefully saved.

“However then Wayne lost his job and Covid hit, and then Kayla became ill too.

“It is heartbreaking and I’ve had so many sleepless nights worrying about money.

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“I also worry about them missing out and not being able to go on holidays like their friends, and I feel constantly guilty.”

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Stacey also has to cover most of the additional travel costs – up to £75 a week in petrol – needed to get Kayla to hospital – an issue charities including Young Lives vs Cancer are campaigning for more support around.

Stacey says: “Sometimes we wonder if we’ll have to go without dinner or have a tin of beans so that the kids can have a proper meal. I’m constantly thinking about where we can cut back.”

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Thanks to charity support, the family have been able to go on paid-for small day trips and a trip to Center Parcs recently – but only because Kayla is so unwell.

Stacey adds: “I don’t want to be in this situation, living every day on a knife edge. The kids shouldn’t have to go without, but a lot of things at the moment are just out of our control.”

Stacey isn’t alone in her struggles. 

On Saturday, Fabulous shared Gemma Smith's story of how she lost five stone in just three months when she was forced to skip meals to feed her children.

Their stories come after an exclusive poll, commissioned by The Sun’s Fabulous brand as part of our Baby, Bank On Us campaign, found that more than two fifths (43 per cent) of mums have missed meals so their kids can eat more over the summer.

And, shockingly, nearly a quarter (23 per cent) have had to stop buying basic hygiene products, including shampoo, shower gel and toothpaste, so their children don’t go without.

Our poll of 2,000 British mothers reveals they are resorting to desperate measures to make ends meet.

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Thirteen per cent of mums polled have used a baby bank over the summer break, while a quarter (26 per cent) have turned to their local food bank.

To find out more about #RunningOnEmpty and sign Young Lives vs Cancer’s petition for a Young Cancer Patient Travel Fund, visit their website:  https://bit.ly/43OeBml 

BABY BANK LOCATIONS

BELOW is a selection of baby banks by region. See the web address at the end of the page to find contact details for all the country’s baby banks

  • North West

Baby Basics Bolton & Bury, West Lancashire

Baby Basics Carlisle, Cumbria 

Baby Basics South Lakes, Cumbria 

Baby Basics, Cleator Moor,  West Cumbria

Trafford Little Bundles, Lancashire

TippyToes BabyBank Preston, Lancashire

Salford Baby Bank, Lancashire

Snowdrop Doula CIC Burnley, Lancashire

Cascade Baby Bundles, Audenshaw, Cheshire

The Baby Room at Spinners, Leigh, Lancashire

The Healthy Gems Baby Bank, Oldham, Lancashire

NCT Mid Cheshire

NCT Preston Baby Bundles, Lancashire

KidsBank Chester, Cheshire

Motherwell Pass It On Baby Bank, Winsford, Cheshire

Hyndburn Baby Bank, Accrington, Lancashire

  • North East

Growbaby Newcastle, Tyne & Wear 

Love, Amelia, Sunderland, Tyne & Wear

Birth Bath and Beyond, Scarborough, North Yorkshire

Clothe and Feed South Shields, Tyne & Wear

Clothe and Feed Sunderland, Tyne & Wear 

Rosie's Corner, Hexham, Northumberland 

Stockton Baby Bank, County Durham

Darlington Baby Bank, County Durham

Baby Basics Darlington

Growbaby Hull, Yorkshire

Little Acorns Baby Bank Durham, County Durham

Hartlepool Baby Bank, County Durham 

  • North

Growbaby Teeside, Thornaby, Stockton-on-Tees

Baby Basics Leeds, West Yorkshire

Baby Basics Doncaster, South Yorkshire

Leeds Baby Bank, West Yorkshire

Baby Basics Sheffield, South Yorkshire

Birth Bath and Beyond Scarborough, North Yorkshire

Bradford Baby Bank, West Yorkshire

POPI Baby Bank Keighley, West Yorkshire

Rainbow Baby Bank Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire

Stepping Stones Baby Bank Wakefield, West Yorkshire

Calderdale Lighthouse, West Yorkshire

Tiny Hands Baby Bank Pontefract, West Yorkshire

Growbaby York, North Yorkshire

  • South West

Ashley's Birthday Bank, Christchurch, Dorset

Baby Bank Network Bristol

Baby Basics Gloucester, Gloucestershire

Baby Basics Cornwall

Baby Basics Plymouth

Brighter Bristol Storehouse, Bristol

Baby Basics South, Ilminster, Somerset

Growbaby Tiverton, Devon

Children's Storehouse Plymouth, Devon

Uplift Tiverton, Devon

Exeter Baby Bank Network, Devon

Little Lighthouse Baby Bank Wythenshawe, Manchester

Baby Bundles Wiltshire

The Nest Project, Bath, Somerset

Gloucestershire Bundles, Gloucester

Open Door Exmouth, Devon

Forest of Dean Baby Bank, Gloucestershire

Small Stuff Baby Bank, Radstock, Somerset

Stroud District Kid's Stuff, Gloucestershire 

Teignmouth Baby Bank, Devon

Ten Little Toes Baby Bank, Cowfold, West Sussex

Growbaby Swindon, Wiltshire

  • South East

Baby Bank & Beyond (South Wealden) CIC (Hellingly), East Sussex

Baby Bank Herts, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire

Sebby's Corner Borehamwood, Hertfordshire

Stevenage Babyshed, Hertfordshire

Baby Basics Billericay, Essex

Growbaby Whitstable, Kent

Growbaby Aylesbury, Bucks

Baby Basics Bromley, Kent

Best Start Baby Bank, Eastbourne, Sussex

Basildon Borough Baby Bank, Essex

Growbaby Maidstone, Kent 

Growbaby Rayleigh, Essex

Baby Basics Chelmsford, Essex

Growbaby St Albans, Herts

Growbaby Hemel Hempstead, Herts

Precious Bundles Colchester, Essex

Fighting Chance Baby Bank, Petworth, West Sussex

Baby2Baby, East Sussex

Baby Basics Brighton

Baby Basics Dover & Deal, Kent

Baby Basics Englefield Green, Surrey

Baby Basics Folkestone, Kent

Baby Basics Willvern, Essex

First Days Reading, Berkshire

Baby Basics Hastings and Rother, East Sussex

Baby Basics, Grays, Kent

Baby Basics Shoreham, West Sussex

NCT Winchester Baby Bundles, Hampshire

NCT Woking Baby Bundles, Surrey

Pelican Parcels Brighton and Hove, Sussex

Baby Stuff Braintree, Essex

Tots 2 Teens Colchester baby bank, Essex

Stripey Stork, Reigate, Surrey

Sunshine Baby Bank Southend, Essex

The Baby Bank HQ Havering, Essex

The Baby Bank HQ Thurrock, Essex

Community Wardrobe Chelmsford, Essex

The Baby Bank Windsor, Berkshire

Growbaby Storehouse Ashford, Kent

Moses Basket Brentwood, Essex,

Growbaby Chelmsford, Essex

NCT Little Bundles Baby Bank Chichester & Arun, West Sussex

NCT Baby Bundles Sevenoaks and Tonbridge, Kent

Mama to Mama, Margate, Kent

Home-Start West Berkshire Baby Bank, Newbury, Berkshire

Growbaby, Wokingham, Berkshire

The Baby Bank HQ Barking, Dagenham and Redbridge, Essex

  • South

Baby Basics Portsmouth, Hampshire

Baby Basics Guildford

Baby Branch Southampton, Hampshire

Baby Necessities Southampton, Hampshire

Portsmouth Baby Bank, Hampshire

  • Channel Islands

Baby Basics Jersey

  • London

214 SPACE Baby Bank Hub Brent

214 SPACE Baby Bank Hub Hammersmith & Fulham

214 SPACE Baby Bank Hub Kensington & Chelsea

Growbaby Lighthouse, Sutton, Greater London 

Growbaby, Newham

Growbaby, Merton

Bromley Brighter Beginnings

Growbaby Purley

Baby Basics, Barnet

Cariad Baby Bank, Harrow

Growbaby Kingston upon Thames

Choices Boutique Islington

Cornerstone Baby Bank Leyton

Growbaby Wandsworth

Baby Basics Sunbury

Growbaby Enfield

Ealing Salvation Army Baby Bank

The Small Project South London

Tiny Toes, Tiny Feet, Northwood

Camberwell Baby Bank

Orchard Baby Bank, Woodford

Peabody Toddlers Clothes Bank, Ilford

Pram Depot Wood Green

Little Village (London-wide)

Mammakind Baby Bank, Greenwich

MerryGoRound Islington

Growbaby Hoxton

NCT Redbridge Baby Bundles

Hackney Children & Baby Bank

Ilford Salvation Army Baby Bank

Mama2Mama Woolwich

Lloyd Park Children's Charity Baby Bank Walthamstow

The Extra Mile, Hampton, Richmond Upon Thames.

  • Midlands

Brierley Hill Baby Bank, Dudley, West Mids

Baskets of Joy Leicester

Growbaby Leicester

Alice Charity, Newcastle under Lyme, Staffordshire

Growbaby Northampton

The Arches, Nottingham 

High Peak Baby Bank, Buxton, Derbyshire

Growbaby, Nuneaton, Warwickshire

Growbaby Bedworth, Warwickshire

Bicester Baby Bank, Oxfordshire

Elayos Baby Bank Birmingham

Baby Basics Wolverhampton

Growbaby Birmingham St Michaels Church

Baby Aid Birmingham

Baby Basics Warwick

Baby Godiva Coventry

Growkids Coventry

Baby Basics Chesterfield, Derbyshire

Baby Basics Long Eaton, Notts

Baby Basics Leicester

Baby Basics Northampton

Baby Basics Hinckley, Leicestershire

Growbaby Birmingham Vineyard City Centre Site

Tots in Need Walsall, West Mids

Spark Baby & Children's Bank Staffordshire

Staffordshire Baby Bank, Stafford, Staffs

Telford and Wrekin Baby and Toddler bank, Shropshire

Clothe and Feed Wallsend, Herefordshire

Little Stars Shropshire

Karis Baby Bank Central Birmingham

NCT Malvern Hills Baby Bundles, Worcs

Little Cherub's Baby Bank High Peak, Derbyshire

Growbaby Worcester

  • Wales

Baby Basics Dryffryn Clwyd Denbigh

Baby Basics Vale of Glamorgan

Baby Basics Newtown

Baby Basics Swansea

Baby Basics Port Talbot

Baby Basics Wrexham

Cwtch Baby Bank Cardiff

Baby Basics Penrhiwceiber

Cariad a Cwtch Baby Bank Llandrindod Wells

Growbaby Cardiff

Pembrokeshire Baby Bank

Splice Baby Bank Bridgend

Bundles Baby Clothing and Birth Support, Newport

Bethel Baby Bank Port Talbot

NCT Cardiff Baby Bundles

Ely Baby Bank

Feed Newport Baby Bank

  • Scotland

Bairn Necessities, Glasgow

AberNecessities, Aberdeen

Growbaby Fife

Baby Bank Scotland, Hamilton

Bairnecessities Aberdeenshire

Bear Necessities Airdrie

Togs for Tots Dundee

Glasgow Baby Food Bank

GRA Baby Bank Aberdeenshire

Nelly Boxes East Renfrewshire Baby Bank

No 1 Glasgow Baby & Family Support Service

Tiny Treasures Baby Bank Oban

Button and Bows Baby Bank Perth

Cumbernauld & Kilsyth Care

Misty Glen Baby Bank Fort William

Dingwall Primary Baby Bank

Moray Baby Bank

Monklands Baby and Family Clothing Aid

  • East

Abi's Footprints, Sudbury, Suffolk

Baby Bank Norfolk

Baby Basics Lowestoft, Suffolk

Baby Basics West Norfolk

West Marsh Baby Bank, Lincolnshire

Suffolk Baby Bank, Bury Saint Edmunds 

Baby's Basket, Lincoln, Lincolnshire

Growbaby Thetford, Norfolk

Growkids Norwich, Norfolk

Fenland Family and Baby Bank, Cambridgeshire

GrowKids Cambridge, Cambridgeshire

Little Family Baby Bank, Sutton On Sea, Lincolnshire

Little Treasures Baby Bank, Horncastle, East Lincolnshire

Little Bundles, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire

  • Northern Ireland

Baby Basics Antrim & Newtonabbey

Baby Basics Ballymena

Baby Basics Belfast

Bump2Baby NI (Mid-Ulster Baby Bank)

Baby Basics Banbridge

Baby Basics Causeway

Baby Basics Magherafelt

Baby Basics Mullavilly

Growbaby Enniskillen

Carrickfergus Baby Bank

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