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Dozens of children have had their education improved and are able to stay awake in school due to the help of a charity in the north of England, who have delivered hundreds of beds to vulnerable families in the lead up to Christmas.
Last year, The Independent’s Christmas appeal bought more than 900 beds for children with the support of our readers, who raised more than £150,000 for the Leeds-based organisation Zarach in just four weeks. Nearly one million children live in bed poverty, with many sleeping on the floor, which has a significant impact on their education and their wellbeing.
With a new bed and a place to read books, play and lay their heads, teachers have seen exhausted youngsters transform into exciteable pupils, while one mother’s children are now happier and more content than they’ve been in years.
For Cherieann Pickering, she and her three children had spent the last few years struggling with a lack of sleep as the four of them crowded into one bedroom at her parents’ house on the Warwick Estate in Knottingley, West Yorkshire.
The 25-year-old shared a bed with her eldest daughter Sandra, eight, while her youngest two, Annie-May, four, and Anthony, two, slept on a single bed and in a cot.
Being aware of her living situation, Sandra’s school contacted Cherieann after her daughter spoke to teachers about her sleeping routine. Upon being referred to Zarach, her home was assessed before volunteers delivered bunkbeds for two of her children, to ensure they had their own safe space to sleep.
“It’s made the biggest difference,” she told The Independent. “It’s made more room for the kids in the bedroom and my two girls absolutely love the bunk beds. My youngest sleeps a lot better now, she’s really excited because she’s got the bottom bunk as she’s too small to get to the top one.”
A full time mother and a carer to Annie-May, Cherieann had previously struggled with their sleeping routine, given that her eldest daughter would regularly wake in the night while they shared a bed.
“It helps so much, it makes it so much easier for everyone in the house,” she said. Her three children are now excitedly waiting to wake up on Christmas Day, to see if Father Christmas has left them toy cars and Stitch toys.
Founded in 2017, Zarach aims to eradicate bed poverty and has hubs throughout the north of England, with hopes to expand to other regions across the UK. In October 2024, they delivered their 10,000th bed and have recently opened hubs in the Tees Valley and Wakefield.
To identify families in need, Zarach has partnered with more than 500 schools that provide the charity with referrals, with volunteers then delivering the beds within eight days.
Since signing up to use the charity’s services in September, Simpson’s Lane Academy, which is located in a deprived area of Wakefield, have referred eight families and hope to do more in the new year.
Sammy Ellis, the vice principal, said: “It absolutely makes a massive difference, we had children come in and basically go to sleep in the reading corner of the classroom and would wake up at lunch, missing all the morning lessons.
“Some of these children now have a safe space to sleep and are ready to learn in the morning, which makes a big difference to their education.”
She added that it was the school’s hope to get rid of the stigma of asking for help, as she urged parents “don’t suffer in silence, help is out there and there’s no shame in that”.
A recent Barnardos report found in 2023 that nearly one million children or 11 per cent, currently live in bed poverty, and are sleeping on the floor, on sofas or are sharing beds with other family members.
It found that crisis requests for help with children’s beds and bedding more than quadrupled between 2018-19 and 2022-23, rising from 4,000 to 18,000, with the true figure expected to be much higher.
In polling collected by YouGov, 20 per cent of children without a bed felt tired at school and 13 per cent struggled during physical activities, while one in 12 parents said their children were “tired all the time” due to not having their own bed to sleep in.
One grandmother, who did not wish to be named, said she was referred to Zarach after her grandchildren’s school asked if she would like some help. Within days, she was given bunkbeds and a single bed, as well as quilts, mattresses and pyjamas for her five grandchildren.
She had been caring for them for the last three years, with two of the youngest sleeping in bed with her each night. “It was absolutely amazing, there was no judgement when the lady came out to view the bedrooms,” she said.
“It’s made a big difference and it’s super exciting for them. It’s made a big difference because they now have their own place to sleep and their own set bedtimes. I cannot recommend them enough, I think a lot of families will really benefit from it.”
Once a family has received their bed, Zarach maintains contact with the schools to receive progress reports, with 76 per cent of children performing better as a result of intervention.
Ali Cooper, Senior Policy Advisor on Child Poverty at Barnardo’s, said: “Our research is showing that more and more families are struggling to afford basic things like food, money to pay for heating and electricity, and now safe places to sleep.”
This Christmas, Zarach are aiming to lift 1000 children out of bed poverty this Christmas. For £150, a family could receive one of their bundles, which includes a bed, mattress, pillows, duvet, linens and pyjamas.
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