Over £16,000 raised to tackle children’s bed poverty

A number of housing associations have pledged their support to help end bed poverty in England, ensuring children are granted the best start in life.

Established in 2018, Zarach – a children’s bed poverty charity – has teamed up with Yorkshire Housing and Thirteen in a bid to bolster its expansion into Tees Valley.

R-L Tim Jennett – Head of Strategy & Governance at Prosper, Carolyn Handley – Community Partnership Manager at Thirteen Group, Jess Sandy – National Development Manager, Ellie McGrath – Funding and Comms Manager.

The charity was created by Bex Wilson, who also works as a deputy headteacher, when she discovered how many children were struggling to get through their school days as a result of not getting enough sleep. The charity supports families experiencing poverty by providing them with new beds and bedding items, following a referral from a schoolteacher or pastoral staff member.

Since joining forces with Thirteen – an organisation that manages around 35,000 homes across the North East, Yorkshire and Humberside – the company have granted a one-off payment of £13,500 as part of their Social Value Annual Dividend Fund, which has helped to set up Zarach’s new warehouse in Hartlepool, as well as provide new bedding equipment. Thirteen discovered the charity through Mark Tilling, the headteacher of High Tunstall School.

‘We are proud to partner with Zarach to help address the issue of bed poverty in our communities. Every child deserves a safe, comfortable place to sleep and by working together, we are helping provide this necessity to families in need,’ Angela Corner, Head of Regeneration and Communities at Thirteen remarked. ‘Thirteen are committed to providing fantastic homes and services to our customers and with the funding from Prosper, it’s a privilege to be supporting Zarach to make a meaningful difference to families in the Tees Valley.’

Against this backdrop, Yorkshire Housing colleagues chose Zarach as their 2024/25 Charity of the Year following a company-wide vote. Since April, they’ve raised almost £8,000 from events, fundraisers and donations. Some of the events include marathons, opening a mini library and a summer fundraiser at the company hub.

Jay Jepson, Chair of Yorkshire Housing’s Charity of the Year Committee said: ‘When it came to choosing our new fundraising partner, Zarach was a perfect match. That’s because their mission links in closely with our vision to make it possible for people to have a place they’re proud to call home.

‘The charity is a fantastic cause which is very close to our hearts, and it gives us great pleasure to know we’re going to make a big difference to struggling families.’

Andy Peers, CEO of Zarach added: ‘We’ve always recognised the connection between the children and families we support and the social housing sector. We are so proud of and grateful for the wonderful support from Thirteen and Yorkshire Housing – it really cements that connection, enabling us to reach more of the most vulnerable children so they have a better chance to get a good night’s sleep, on a consistent basis, and engage well at school. We hope that other social housing providers will feel inspired by the difference this support makes to children living in their homes and be compelled to join us on our mission to end child bed poverty too.’

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