Help children have their own beds this Safer Sleep Week

A year on since the council and partners launched the Good Night Project there are still many children in the city needing a bed of their own to sleep in.

Every week the Good Night Project receives on average 25 referrals for families who need help with beds and bedding, amounting to a total of 1300 referrals since the project was launched last March.

The Good Night Project is just one of a number of initiatives the City of Wolverhampton Council launched with partners to help combat awful situations families have found themselves in due to the cost of living crisis.

Wolves Foundation and African Caribbean Community Initiative (ACCI) joined the council to launch the Good Night Project to provide a dedicated service to provide beds and bedding to those that need them.

Safer Sleep Week is The Lullaby Trust’s national awareness campaign targeting anyone looking after a young baby. It aims to raise awareness of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and the simple advice that reduces the risk of it occurring.

And to coincide with the week the Good Night Project is appealing for donations for children’s beds as there is a desperate need for single beds and bunk beds.

Councillor Stephen Simkins, Leader of the City of Wolverhampton Council said:

‘The Good Night Project has already made a real difference to many children and their parents across the city, ensuring they can get quality sleep in their own beds, a basic need for everyone’s health and quality of life.

‘But it’s a sad fact the demand for beds has been even greater than could have been anticipated. This Safer Sleep Week, we’d like to appeal for anyone who might have a bed their child has grown out of to help another child in the city by donating it.

‘As a council we’re doing all we can with the help of our partners the Wolves Foundation and African Caribbean Community Initiative (ACCI) to combat this awful situation, but we need your help.

‘Together we need to help ensure every child and indeed every person in the city can have a bed to call their own.’

The project is not able to accept used mattresses or bedding, but it can accept cash donations to it’s Just Giving page https://www.justgiving.com/page/acci-charity-1679052794777

Just £4 will enable the Good Night Project to buy a pillow or fitted sheet to help a child or parent sleep comfortably.

Alicia Spence, of the African Caribbean Community Initiative, said:

‘The Good Night Project has proved to be a truly effective  partnership between ACCI,  Wolverhampton City Council and the Wolves Foundation.

‘The Good Night Project has provided hundreds of cots, toddler beds, snoozing pods, bunk and single beds, mattresses, bedding, duvets, pillows, duvet covers and bed sheets  to families with babies, toddlers and children across the whole of Wolverhampton.

‘The fact ACCI has been able to help  families in communities that reflect the tremendous diversity of the City is a true privilege. ACCI want to support the Lullaby Trust’s campaign and anything that can be donated to benefit more families in Wolverhampton will be gratefully received.’

Tom Warren, Senior Manager at Wolves Foundation said:

‘Through the Good Night Project, Wolves Foundation has worked with partners and helped a number of local families by providing beds and bedding.

‘The power of partnership across the city can’t be understated and allows us to make a much greater impact.

‘We’ve been delighted to work with the council and ACCI to provide this support and the many positive benefits that it brings.’