The CareTech Foundation has awarded a £2,500 community grant to The Sleep Charity to help end bed poverty.

The charity, which has launched a pilot programme to tackle sleep poverty in South Yorkshire, is campaigning for organisations to donate new basic items, such as mattresses, pillows and blankets, to aid those in need this winter. It hopes to expand the programme nationally in the coming months.

More than 22% of the UK’s population is living in poverty, with reports showing that 30% of families are impacted by bed poverty.

Jonathan Freeman MBE, chief executive of the CareTech Foundation, said: “The Foundation is delighted to be able to award a grant to The Sleep Charity. The right to a good night’s sleep should be available to everyone regardless of social circumstances. Not having a good night’s sleep impacts physical and mental health and limits a person’s ability to function well throughout the day. The grant will provide crucial funding to what is an immensely important project.”

Vicki Beevers, chief executive of The Sleep Charity, said: “Sleep poverty is a real issue here in South Yorkshire – and nationally too – and with winter fast approaching, and the current state of the economy, we need to act now. Having a proper bed and sleep environment is crucial to a good night’s sleep which, in turn, is vital to our overall health and wellbeing. Everyone deserves access to the essential products that help us to achieve good sleep, no matter their background or situation.”

The Foundation receives an annual donation of 2.5% pre-tax profit from CareTech Holdings Limited, the founding corporation and leading social care provider for adults and children’s services in the UK. With this donation the CareTech Foundation delivers meaningful impact to communities in the UK and overseas by supporting and championing the social care sector, care workers and those living in care.