The short version
- In spring 2024 she said three councils had given Jayne’s Baby Bank money: £7,600 from Caerphilly and Torfaen “towards our running costs for 2024”, and £1,250 from Blaenau Gwent.
- Weeks later, the Brynmawr shop was in trouble. On video, she said it would shut at the end of its first year if takings did not pick up, using an opt-out clause in the lease.
- She said some people had been “quite rude” asking for free items, and that help was for those who give to the shop: “You need to be a customer or a regular donator of donations to the shop.”
- At the time she was also running shops in Blackwood, Pontypool and Risca, a donation centre, car boot sales and three Vinted pages.
- She closed Brynmawr on 12 July 2024, seven months after signing for it.
In this article
In June 2024 the Brynmawr shop of Jayne’s Baby Bank, at 48 Worcester Street, looked close to closing. It came only weeks after she had thanked three councils for funding.
Three councils
On 26 March 2024 she posted: “Thank you to Caerphilly and Torfean Council who have given us £7, 600 between them towards our running costs for 2024” (the post, spelling as published). A month later she added £1,250 from Blaenau Gwent Council, and thanked “the 3 Councils that support us”.
“If takings don’t increase”
In a video shared in her Brynmawr Facebook group, she told customers that if takings at the Brynmawr shop did not increase, it would shut at the end of its first year, because “we’ve got an opt out clause” in the tenancy. That may surprise some readers: her shops reportedly run on reduced rent, because they were described as charitable when the leases were signed.
Her video, since deleted, kept by us. Read the transcript.
She was frustrated with some of the people coming in. They wanted free items, she said, and had been “quite rude” in asking for them, without supporting the shop. Help, she said, was not for everyone who asked:
You need to be a customer or a regular donator of donations to the shop.
Her video, 2024 (from a transcript of the recording)
In effect, families had to give to the shop before they could get help from it. “We’re funded by the community for the community,” she said. If the community did not use it, “we’ll just move the shop somewhere else.”
She said it had happened before, at her earlier shop at Aberbargoed: “we withdrew the service because people weren’t using the service.” That shop had already gone. On 30 November 2023 the landlord’s enforcement agents took the unit back, and in May 2024 a court entered judgment against her for £7,141 (our report on the Aberbargoed lease).
Shops, car boots and Vinted
Brynmawr was one part of a wider operation. By her own posts, most of it was run by volunteers. It included:
- shops in Blackwood, Brynmawr, Pontypool and Risca, and a donation centre;
- second-hand sales online, on Vinted;
- car boot sales.
All of it was presented as charitable. Members of the public asked how the money was accounted for, given the council funding, the donated stock and the unpaid volunteers, and why the shops still struggled.
On 18 June 2024 she listed three Vinted pages selling for Jayne’s Baby Bank, and thanked two volunteers who were selling for it.
The main one, jaynesbabybank, is still on Vinted. The other two have since closed.
What happened next
Brynmawr did not reach the end of its first year. On 11 July 2024 she wrote “We will definitely be closing Brynmawr shop down”, and on 12 July: “Brynmawr last day today as we are closing it” (the post). She had signed for the shop on 7 December 2023. Our report on what her shops cost sets out its dates and estimated rent.
Councils did look more closely. In July 2024 Caerphilly Cares, the council’s community support service, told us Jayne’s Baby Bank was not supported by it. In February 2026 Pontypool Community Council turned down her funding application after due diligence checks.
Sources
- Her posts, from our archive: 26 March 2024 (£7,600), 29 April 2024 (three councils), 18 June 2024 (Vinted pages) and 12 July 2024 (last day). Spelling is as published. The funding figures are hers; we have not seen the councils’ records of them.
- Her Brynmawr video, deleted by her and kept by us: the transcript. Quotes come from a machine transcript of the recording. In it, “Brin Mow” is Brynmawr, and “bar good” is taken to be her Aberbargoed shop, her only shop in that area.
- Our later reports: the Aberbargoed lease, what her shops cost, Caerphilly Cares and Pontypool Community Council. The overview: the Sherlock Dossier.
- This article is based on publicly available data, social media content and statements made by people connected with Jayne’s Baby Bank. Where it gives commentary, that is editorial opinion in the public interest. It does not say or imply that anyone has broken the law. It was researched partly with the help of AI tools. Readers should check official records and regulators for more information.
…Sherlock
