Support for campaign to give children a bed this winter

We are supporting a campaign to give hundreds of children their own beds this winter.
  
It is against a backdrop of an estimated 6,000 children living in bed poverty in the district.  
 
We have allocated a £10,000 grant to the city’s Residents First Group to help Prosper Wakefield District and Zarach to tackle bed-poverty in the area.    
  

A range of life circumstances mean that children are sleeping on floors, on sofas, in chairs, and even in baths. 
  
Since starting the Wakefield Children’s Bed Appeal in October, the Prosper Wakefield District team has already provided funding to Zarach for 94 children. They have delivered 49 single beds and bunk beds to families in the Wakefield area.  
  
 The campaign aims to deliver 25 beds a week over three months to children who need them the most.  
  
Simon Topham, chair of the Residents First Group, said: “We are delighted to support the Wakefield District Children’s Bed Poverty Campaign’ organised By Prosper Wakefield District and Zarach.  
“Set up in 2020, the Residents First Group works to address poverty in the district. We provide advice and support services, hardship grants, support to the voluntary & charity sector, and work with residents to try to increase their income. This campaign is aimed to improve the health, wellbeing and educational prospects of thousands of local children who currently miss out on a decent night’s sleep” 
 
Kath Lindley, Chief Executive of Prosper Wakefield District, said: “To hear that 6,000 children in the Wakefield district don’t sleep in a bed was a huge shock, we felt compelled to do what we can to help. Getting beds for these children is a priority so for every £1,000 raised before Christmas, Prosper will match-fund, doubling the donations to get as many beds as we can.” 
 
Prosper Wakefield District’s ‘Wakefield Children’s Bed Appeal’ is delivered in partnership with Wakefield Community Foundation and specialist charity Zarach.   
  
Zarach is a Leeds-based charity which is moving into Wakefield, demonstrating a commitment to support children across the whole of West Yorkshire. The charity has been in operation for 6 years and has recently delivered its 10,000th bed as well as expanding its support and impact further across England.  
 
Ellie McGrath, Funding and Comms Manager for Zarach, said: “As we expand our reach nationally, it is crucial that the businesses and communities support us as we look to meet the needs of some of the most vulnerable families. It is great to see that partnership and passion in Wakefield.” 
 
 Barnado’s report  No crib for a bed: the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on bed poverty | Barnardo's  found that there are 900,000 children in the UK do not have a bed to sleep in, with 6,000 of those young people living in the Wakefield District.  
  
For more information on the bed poverty campaign visit:https://prosperwakefielddistrict.org/the-wakefield-childrens-bed-appeal/ 
 
  
  
For information
  
The Residents First Group (RFG) was initially a response to the Covid-19 pandemic and now acts as a partnership who aims to reduce poverty and support residents with the cost-of-living challenge.     
  
Since Help at the Hubs (HATH) first began in November 2020, the Citizens Advice service within HATH venues has helped over 4,000 people with 10,000 issues and secured recorded income gains of £2,218,000.    
  
Other projects part-funded by RFG: Food Aid Network; Knottingley Community Shop; funds provided to 9 Community Hubs.