Wakefield Council supports campaign to help tackle bed poverty this winter
Tuesday, December 23, 2025
Wakefield Council is supporting a campaign to give hundreds of children their own beds this winter.
It is estimated that 6,000 children in the district are sharing single beds, sleeping on floors, on sofas, in chairs and even in baths.
For the second year running, the Council is giving £10,000, through the Wakefield Residents First Group, to support the work of the Community Foundation Wakefield District and Prosper in funding Zarach to get beds to children.
“We’re working to tackle poverty in our district, wherever we find it. It’s shocking that 6,000 children are facing bed poverty across Wakefield.
“This is a long-standing national issue. But we can do our bit – through our Residents First Group – to support as many children as possible to have their own place to sleep so that they have the best start to life.”
Cllr Daniel Wilton
Wakefield Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities
Every child should have the best possible start and supplying a bed is just the beginning. Having a good night’s sleep means that a child can engage more in school and play, helping their overall development.
Since Zarach began working in the Wakefield area, 534 beds have been delivered with almost half of those funded by the Wakefield Children's Bed Appeal. This has lifted 720 children out of bed poverty. And 118 schools in the district are now signed up to refer children in need, creating a trusted referral network.
The Wakefield Children’s Bed Appeal is led by and co-ordinated locally by Prosper and Community Foundation Wakefield District, in partnership with specialist charity Zarach.
Zarach was founded in 2017 in Leeds, but now operates across the whole of West Yorkshire, and across parts of England where support is most needed. With continued increased demand, Zarach have delivered more than 15,000 beds to children referred by their school, and they're on a mission to end child bed poverty so that children can get a good night's sleep and thrive at school.
Thanks to the funding from Wakefield Council, 66 brand new bed bundles will be delivered to children without a bed of their own, giving them the chance to sleep well, wake up each morning refreshed and ready for a day in the classroom.
Kath Lindley, Chief Executive Officer at Prosper, said: “We are absolutely overwhelmed by the tremendous response to the bed campaign, and over the moon that we have helped so many children in our district out of bed poverty. This achievement was only possibly because of the fantastic collaboration of so many different people and organisations, and shows what we can achieve if we all work to a common purpose.”
Lisa Milburn, Foundation Director at Community Foundation Wakefield District, said: “It is incredibly humbling to be part of the driving force behind this collaboration addressing the unacceptable levels of children’s bed poverty in the Wakefield district.
"Its impact shows just how much we can achieve when we work together to help change the lives of children and families across our district.”
Barnardo's found that there are 900,000 children in the UK who do not have a bed to sleep in, with 6,000 of those young people living in the Wakefield District. Read more at No crib for a bed: the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on bed poverty