The Milk Bank @ Chester is the largest NHS milk bank in England and provides donor milk to around 45 hospitals in England and Wales
every year. We aim to make safe, screened donor milk available to any
baby that needs it regardless of the location of their birth.

Donor milk is recommended for premature and vulnerable babies when their own mother’s milk is not available due to illness or while establishing their milk supply.  Every year over 200 families donate their milk to the Milk Bank @ Chester. Donors are screened to ensure they meet strict medical and lifestyle criteria and undergo blood tests to check for a number of infections. The milk is pasteurised and tested before being issued to hospitals to ensure safety.

The Milk Bank @ Chester is the lead on Memory Milk Gift, a national initiative which aims to give every bereaved family the opportunity to donate milk in memory of their baby. Families are offered the opportunity to have their baby’s name added to our Memory Milk tree in the milk bank as well as a wooden Memory Milk Pebble with their baby’s name hand-painted on to remember their precious gift to others.

Some examples of how your donation could help:

Purchasing new equipment such as fridges and freezers  

Helping to implement a new bar coding system for donor milk

Providing leaflets and posters to raise awareness of the service

Supporting memory making opportunities or breast pump hire for bereaved families