Huge donation from Peterborough building company will help lift people off the floor and provide beds for families in need

A number of Burmor Construction staff took part in the Cambridge Half Marathon earlier this year, raising vital cash for the Goodnight Sleeptight campaign.

The campaign aims to provide beds for families who are unable to afford them in Peterborough.

The firm raised £4,000 – enough to buy 40 brand new beds for families in need.

Jack Wycherley, business manager for Burmor, explained why the firm had chosen the charity.

He said: “It is the second year that the team has ran - we had an increased team this year. We were recommended carezone last year when we raced, and they are going to be our chosen charity for years to come, and hopefully we will keep running the Cambridge half marathon.

"We raised £4,000 for Goodnight Sleeptight, which I believe is enough to get 40 beds for people.

"We are a Peterborough based company so to see the impact locally is what we do it for."

Julie Gooding, development worker for Carezone, who is running the campaign, said: “We thrilled by the donation. We love Burmor, we have worked with them before. They are a great company, they are not just building houses, they are really interested in creating safe homes for people, and that is what we are all about. To have this donation means that 40 people in the city are not going to be sleeping on the floor."

The Peterborough Telegraph has backed the campaign, after hearing heartbreaking stories from volunteers working at the charity – including of children forced to sleep on the floor with nothing but a pile of clothes to keep them comfy.

Previously, the charity could only give one bed to a family – leaving some with the devastating decision of choosing which child was given a bed, and which was left without.

Last year the charity gave 400 beds to families in Peterborough – and they want to give away 800 more this year.

Each new bed costs £100, and are available to people who have been assessed as needing one. The charity works with major health and social work providers in the city, schools and doctor’s surgeries to ensure that the furniture goes to residents who are genuinely in need.

Julie said: “We are trying to ensure that no-one in Peterborough has to sleep on the floor. We have around 40% child poverty rate, and we are seeing a lot of that in Carezone. We were previously only able to give one bed per family, but we are stepping out to try and ensure we can give every person that comes to us in need a bed. We need to raise £80,00 to do that.

"We are making connections, and we need a lot more to make this a reality."

Businesses and individuals are being urged to hold fundraising events this year to help raise the thousands of pounds needed.

Contact [email protected] to find out more about fundraising ideas, resources and links to the fundraising page, or visit https://givestar.io/ev/goodnight-sleeptight-a-carezone-campaign or https://kingsgate.church/goodnightsleeptight/