The Duchess of Cambridge Visits Little Village in Brent

Fresh from the weekend's unforgettable Platinum Jubilee celebrations, the Duchess of Cambridge stepped out this afternoon to lend a helping hand to Little Village in Brent.

During summer 2020, amidst the most difficult restrictions during the pandemic, the Duchess revealed she was "moved to tears" by stories of families she heard during a private visit to one of Baby Basics Norfolk's branches and was determined to help with their plight. Kate has brought nineteen leading British brands on board to donate over 10,000 items to over forty baby banks across the UK.

One of the beneficiaries was Little Village -- London’s largest baby bank network, with eight locations across the capital. Since then, the Duchess has kept in touch and continued working with baby banks. I thought it one of Kate's most impressive projects to date, offering essential supports which would positively impact families during an unimaginably difficult time.

Kensington Palace said: "The charity equips families with clothes, toys and essential items for babies and children up to the age of five, including nappies, beds, buggies and toiletries, as well as linking them with key services. Families are referred to the charity via a network of professionals such as midwives, health visitors and social workers, and can either receive items through home deliveries or by coming into their local centre. Since launching in 2016, Little Village’s team of more than 600 volunteers have responded to nearly 20,000 requests for support across London, reaching over 22,000 children. Little Village Brent opened in November 2021 and aims to help around 40 families from the borough of Brent each week. During her visit, the Duchess will meet some of the centre’s volunteers as they sort through donations, and hear more about how Little Village works with each individual family to understand their personal needs and preferences in order to provide a tailored package of support."

Kate spent time with families and volunteers before getting to work helping to pack much needed bags and supplies.

Volunteer Faiza spent time with the Duchess and said: "As a mother herself The Duchess really showed a lot of empathy and care about the work Little Village are doing. She was lovely and engaging and was keen to hear about how families feel when they visit our baby bank. She was very interested in hearing about how much thought and care goes into the bundles we prepare for families."

Mum Sara with two children under three added: "It was incredible to meet The Duchess of Cambridge, she was really kind and listened to what I had to say. I told The Duchess how much Little Village has helped us, they have been like a second family to me."

Sophie Livingston MBE, CEO of Little Village said: "We were all absolutely delighted to welcome The Duchess of Cambridge to Little Village Brent. She met some of our staff and volunteers and helped to pick out some beautiful items of clothing for the family’s two young children. The Duchess really took her time to talk our staff and volunteers, who all said how down to earth she was and how engaged and interested she was in the work of Little Village. This is set to be our busiest year yet, and we expect to see a thousand more children than we did in 2021 and we know that baby banks across the country are facing similar demand. This boost from The Duchess will help to shine a light on the work of baby banks and will hopefully lead to increased support for their much-needed work."

The Palace added: "When families visit Little Village hubs in person, the charity works to ensure that they are treated with love, kindness and dignity. The Duchess will meet a family who are being supported by Little Village Brent to hear about their experiences of using the centre, including the impact of being able to choose for themselves the objects that they need from an extensive stock of high-quality donated items."

If you would like to support the essential work of Little Village, please click here.

The video below features lovely footage of Kate meeting little ones.

The Duchess was in a mix of new and familiar pieces.

The Duchess sported the Inverted Lapel Long Blazer by ZARA (with thanks to Georgie's Mum and Heaven).

Kate carried a lovely new bag by Massimo Dutti. The white woven leather handbag is part of the brand's Care for Planet range.

More on the effort:

"This leather was produced in tanneries awarded the Leather Working Group Gold or Silver certifications. LWG is a protocol that audits the tanning process in terms of energy and water use, waste management and the use of pre-approved chemicals in the tanning processes".

It very much looks like Kate wore her Roland Mouret Axon trousers. They're crafted from a stretch blend to ensure a comfortable and flattering fit, and are shaped with wide legs that are defined by front and back pressed creases.

Kate wore her Gianvito Rossi 105 pumps in black suede.

And accessorised with Kiki McDonough citrine drop earrings.

Great to see Kate's work with Little Village continuing.