Witney’s baby bank is under pressure but not at risk of closure, its trustees have insisted.

Rumours swirled on social media that the charity was in trouble after trustees issued a statement about reducing the number of families it could provide for this Christmas.

In a letter to volunteers, trustees wrote that the bank has seen in an increase in families and children it supports as the cost of living crisis continues.

It said the trustees “have had to make some difficult decisions regarding the priorities of the charity and the sustainability of its future”.

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It went on to say that the Christmas Gift Appeal, which has run for four years, can only provide for families of service users this year.

“This will dramatically reduce the number of families we provide Christmas gifts for, making it more manageable and sustainable," it said.

The letter sent alarm bells ringing for some volunteers who feared that the charity was at risk of closure.

However, chair of trustees and the baby bank’s founder Rosa Bolger said despite the rising demand there was no cause for concern.

She said: "I can reassure you that the Witney Baby Bank isn’t at risk - in fact we’re excited to be moving to a new delivery model."

Currently 19 per cent of children in Witney are living in poverty and the baby bank's work "has never been more critical as we support families experiencing financial hardship, through the cost of living crisis", she said.

But she added: "Having done a lot of research, we’ve taken the decision to enhance the support that we offer to families in West  Oxfordshire so that they will now receive a combination of emergency packs and vouchers.

"They can spend these vouchers in a number of local supermarkets on the baby essentials of their choice."

Ms Bolger said the charity strongly believes that this new approach "better empowers families and provides greater dignity through choice".

"Additionally, this digital voucher model will better enable us to measure the impact of the funding we receive."

This model will help ensure the sustainability of the baby bank, which works closely with health care professionals, social workers, Homestart and Citizen’s Advice, by being more flexible.

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She said: "As with any charity, our sustainability relies on the level of funding we receive which is why we consulted our funders before we moved to this model."

And despite some trustees stepping back the charity is in the process of recruiting a couple of new ones.

"I can assure you that we have sufficient numbers to ensure the ongoing running of the charity," Ms Bolger said.

Any potential donors, businesses or individuals interested in supporting the baby bank should contact info@witneybabybank.com