Harrogate charity launches search for corporate sponsor to support ambitions of eradicating child bed poverty

A recent report by Barnardo’s found an estimated 894,000 children in the United Kingdom don’t have their own bed.

They either sleep with a parent or sibling or the parent sleeps on the sofa so that the child can have their bed.

Essential Needs, which has supported households in furniture poverty for nearly 30 years, has stepped up to address this challenge within the Harrogate district.

Essential Needs has set aside funding to provide up to 75 beds free of charge to children who don’t have a bed of their own for the current financial year, but is looking for local businesses to partner with them on fundraising initiatives to help eradicate child bed poverty in the local community.

Lee Wright, Manager at Essential Needs, said: “Sadly, it’s a problem that won’t go away overnight.

"We’re always looking to the future and how we can support households across the Harrogate district, however we’re aware to address bed poverty long-term, we do need additional financial support.

"We’ve started speaking directly to local organisations, but really hope local businesses heed our call for help and contact us to help step up to the challenge.

“In the past financial year, we’ve supported over 650 local households, in addition to giving away furniture and services worth over £16,000 to some of the most vulnerable in our community through our partnership with Harrogate Homeless Project (HHP) and IDAS.

"We’re lucky to have a great team and small army of volunteers and, thanks to the generosity of people from across the district, we’re able to re-use and redistribute good quality used furniture, household items and white goods to those residents in need of support – also lessening the burden of landfill waste by giving unwanted goods a new lease of life.”

For more information about Essential Needs, visit https://essentialneeds.org.uk/