Speakers Sonia Beardsmore and Rachael Winder of Zarach

Sonia Beardsmore is the volunteer corporate fundraiser and Rachel Winder is the business & corporate partnership manager of the charity. Zarach was started because in 2017 Bex Wilson was a teacher at Shakespeare Primary School in Leeds and she had a child in her class who was always tired. It turned out that he had no proper bed to sleep on so she had a collection among her friends and family to buy him a bed. She found out from the charity Barnardos that there were around 400,000 children in Britain who do not have a proper bed, or it was broken or had bed bugsto sleep on. This galvanised her to start Zarach which means light in the darkness in the Hebrew language.

Bex did an appeal on breakfast television. Since 2018 when the charity founded the Barnardos bed survey now estimates that there are about 900,000 children without a proper bed. Over 60% of these are in families where the parent is working. It is estimated that there are 4.3 million children living in poverty.
The mission of the charity is to end child bed poverty. They believe every child deserves a safe, comfortable bed to sleep in, and the opportunity to thrive in school and beyond. They are committed to advocating and campaigning for a society where every child has a bed of their own. They continue to expand their reach; supporting families, lifting children out of bed poverty, and delivering quality beds that ensure 8 years of good sleep.

They acquire their bed frames from China and good quality mattresses from Harrison Spinks and Silent Night. Last year they delivered 13,000 bed bundles which include not just the frame and mattress but also a duvet, bedding, pillows and pyjamas to ensure a good night’s sleep.

The family engagement team at the charity get a referral from a school and then send out a bed bundle. In Bradford last year they delivered 344 bundles which helped 445 children out of poverty. 95% schools say that getting a bed has improved a child's behaviour and attendance.

They get support from some major businesses such as Harrison Spinks and Silent Night as well as some major builders. But they need awareness and support to expand their reach. They have grown amazingly fast over the last 8 years and now have 6 locations in West Yorkshire, Tees Valley, Liverpool, Stockport, Stoke, and Romford. It costs £150 for a bed bundle thanks to the very good discounts that the suppliers give them.

To read much more about this incredible charity please visit their website - https://zarach.org/