Zarach, a children’s bed poverty charity, has secured charity partnerships with housing organisations, Yorkshire Housing and Thirteen, ahead of its expansion into the Tees Valley.
Zarach was established by deputy headteacher Bex Wilson, when she realised how many children were struggling during school days from not having access to suitable sleeping arrangements. 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.
Yorkshire Housing and Thirteen have been supporting Zarach, a charity founded in Leeds serving West Yorkshire, which is now growing its support to expand into the Tees Valley, where Thirteen have pledged to provide ongoing support.
Thirteen first heard about Zarach through Mark Tilling, the Headteacher of High Tunstall School in Hartlepool, as Thirteen had a large number of the tenants living in the surrounding area of the school that would welcome support. Prosper, Thirteen’s procurement consultant, provided a one-off payment to Zarach 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 brand-new bedding equipment.
Angela Corner, Head of Regeneration and Communities at Thirteen, said: “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.
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.”
Yorkshire Housing had an internal vote for their charity partner for the year, choosing Zarach to raise money for. The housing organisation has so far raised over £8,000 through employee fundraising including marathons, opening a mini library and a summer fundraiser at the company hub. Their biggest fundraiser will be a coastal walk across Scarborough and Whitby, due to take place in September.
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, said: “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.”