£13,500 financial boost for Zarach to tackle child bed poverty

Zarach, a children’s bed poverty charity, has received £13,500 donation from Thirteen thanks to Prosper’s Social Value Dividend Fund ahead of its expansion into the Tees Valley.

Colleagues from Zarach, Thirteen and Prosper holding bed essentials in the Hartlepool warehouse

30 Sep 2024

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.

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.

We first heard about Zarach through Mark Tilling, the Headteacher of High Tunstall School in Hartlepool, as we have customers 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.”

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 - 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.”