Leeds teacher fighting child bed poverty publishes first book

A Leeds teacher who has been on a crusade to tackle child bed poverty since 2017 has published her first children's book.
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Founder of Zarach Bex Wilson is celebrating her first published children’s book Zed Ted.

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Crusading teacher tackles ‘bed poverty’ for Leeds families

Zarach's is an organisation, whose mission is to provide beds so children can ‘eat, sleep, learn’ and was officially founded by Bex in 2018. This journey really began in the summer of 2017 however when Bex, a deputy headteacher at Shakespeare Primary School and Nursery on Lincoln Road, was teaching an English class and noticed a young boy who seemed distracted and tired, only for the child to reveal he in fact did not have a bed.

Originally written for a school assembly in 2018, all proceeds from Bex's Zed Ted will go back into her charity Zarach.Originally written for a school assembly in 2018, all proceeds from Bex's Zed Ted will go back into her charity Zarach.
Originally written for a school assembly in 2018, all proceeds from Bex's Zed Ted will go back into her charity Zarach.
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Zed Ted was a story first written by Bex for a school assembly in 2018. It was written for 5-11 year olds and marked the launch of a sleep competition teaching the importance of sleep as a part of a healthy lifestyle.

The story of Zed Ted will continue to be used for assemblies but will now also be sold at Zarach events and by most major online book retailers to raise bed bundle funds.

A new bed can make all the difference and that’s why Zarach exists so that tired children can sleep safely and have a better chance of learning at school.

The poverty crisis (fleeing domestic abuse, redundancy, bereavement etc) can lead to a loss of routine.

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To support the process of reinstating healthy bed time routines Zarach give bedding, pyjamas and a hand knitted Zed Ted.

The charity explains that "Zed Ted’s superpower is sleep and he’ll help them to feel safe in their new bed."

“As a teacher I see every day how much easier school is if you can read well. Reading is like any other skill; the more often you do it the better you get. A good picture book is often a part of a bedtime routine." Bex said "If you buy a book to gift this Christmas, you will also be donating essential funds towards a bed bundle for a child experiencing poverty crisis, sleeping without a bed of their own. For every book purchased by you, we are able to match fund a Story of Zed Ted for our Zarach bed bundles."

The book has been published by Yorkshire Independent Publisher, Poems & Pictures Publishing with Zarach set to receive all of the proceeds.

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