To help and support families in need this year, Happy Beds, a UK-based furniture retailer, has launched a charity partnership with Home-Start UK.
Home-Start is a local community network of trained volunteers and experts helping families with young children across the UK through challenging times. This included Damien Sutherland and his children from Strood in Kent, the first to have been helped by the charity partnership.
Single father, Damien, 38, has four children: Freya, aged 2, Daisy, 4, Akira, 8 and Pagan, 12. The family were living in temporary accommodation in cramped conditions with barely any furniture - what they had was old and broken.
Yorkshire based, Happy Beds, worked with Home-Start to provide beds, mattresses and bedroom furniture to the family in need. Alongside essentials and support provided by the charity, Damien and his family now have a space where they can relax, read and do their homework – something that will be increasingly important as they get older.
Damien Sutherland said: “It honestly didn’t feel real until the beds and furniture actually arrived. I’m so touched that Happy Beds wanted to help us in this way.
“They have truly turned this place into a home for me and the children. We’ve come a long way since Home-Start Medway first supported us. It’s great now to have all my children in a place that feels comfortable and warm.”
Lucy Bolland, Marketing Manager at Happy Beds, said: "We're thrilled that we were able to have a positive impact on Damien and his children's lives by providing them with a range of bedroom furniture. We all know how important a good night’s sleep is for children’s health and development, so we're pleased to see that Damien and his kids are happy and content to move forward.
“With Home-Start as our 2022 charity partner, we're so excited to see what we can achieve together in an exciting year to come!"
Throughout 2022, Happy Beds is set to host various fundraising and volunteer events, as well as continuing to donate products to families who are in need.
Vivien Waterfield, Deputy CEO of Home-Start UK said: “We’re delighted to be the charity partner of Happy Beds. It’s been wonderful to see the impact our partnership has already had on Damien and his girls, and we look forward to working together to make a difference to many more families.”
To find out more about Happy Beds, please click here and to find out more about Home Start, click here.