Tesco is donating 23,000 packs of own-brand premature baby clothes to neonatal wards in hospitals across the UK.
The UK’s largest retailer is set to give packs of F&F Premature Baby Essentials to the 157 hospital units, with each pack to contain sleepsuits, bodysuits, hats & scratch mitts.
With figures from the ONS revealing that 7-10% of babies born in England and Wales are born prematurely, the supermarket’s donation is understood to see roughly half of them be given the F&F essentials.
Tesco has also partnered with the Salvation Army to help deliver the clothing from its Wollaston depot in Northamptonshire.
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Tesco home and clothing managing director Jan Marchant said: “Premature babies are often unexpected, and it can be difficult to find clothing items to fit at such short notice. We want to provide practical help to mums and dads at a stressful time and help give the babies a stronger start in life.”
NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard added: “Having a baby born prematurely can be a really worrying time for so many, and with our hard-working staff across the country continuing to do all they can to provide care and support to premature babies and their families, it is fantastic that Tesco is donating specialist baby clothing to every NHS neonatal unit across England to provide additional help.
“These clothing packs could make a huge difference to tens of thousands of babies and their families who need it most over the next year, and we are extremely grateful to Tesco, and to the Salvation Army, for making this possible.”
The new initiatives follows other charitable donations made by the retailer in recent years.
Over Christmas, Tesco stores across the country collected toys to help support struggling families during the festive period, while last winter Tesco donated almost 4,000 brand new F&F coats to people in need.
