Poverty is now one of the biggest barriers to education for children across Yorkshire, and as we approach winter, the problem worsens.
Each year the demand for support with winter essentials grows.
Our winter essential campaign ensures children have their immediate needs met to arrive at school warm, dry and ready to learn. From a warm winter coat and school shoes to toiletries and bedding, each item goes to a child who is deemed to be living in destitution.
Teacher who applied on behalf of their students for Winter Support in 2025.
of schools said the campaign helped identify and support vulnerable families
of schools said the campaign helped them to improve family engagement
of schools described the impact as ‘significant’
Independent University of Leeds study on the impact of our 2025 Winter Support Campaign
didn't have a coat
didn’t have appropriate footwear
didn’t have bedding
Last year, we received an application from a mum struggling to afford clothing for her two daughters. The sisters were sharing one pair of shoes – taking turns to attend school. Requests like this highlight the barriers poverty places on attendance and education.
One application told us about a child who walked a long distance to school in shoes that were one-and-a-half sizes too small. Many of the families we help live far from school or are frequently forced to move – and essentials like school shoes wear out fast. Walking with sore feet shouldn’t be part of any child’s school day.
Our winter support campaign exists because time and again we were receiving ‘Helping Hand for Families’ applications for basic clothing essentials, requests that always got more extreme during the winter. As a charity, we spotted a broader issue that needed immediate attention. This year, 98% of children we received applications for needed a coat.
At one of our Schools Out trips, a 7-year-old girl nervously asked if she could take home leftover cheese sandwiches. We later discovered she routinely saved part of her school lunch to feed her younger siblings. It was her first time on a school trip, and while most children were excited, she was worried – because if she wasn’t at school, how would her brother eat that night?
84% of families we support need basic bedding. One family we’re supporting had to throw out all of their bedding after a bed bug infestation. They were already working with social care to overcome serious challenges, and now their children are sleeping directly on worn mattresses.
54% of families we support struggle to afford basic toiletries. One large family we’re supporting has no working washing machine, and no hot water. The children often arrive at school in dirty, smelly clothes, which has led to bullying. Almost three million children are believed to be experiencing hygiene poverty in the UK, with increasing numbers of pupils missing school due to dirty uniforms and bullying.
As a small charity, we cannot boil the ocean. With this in mind, we only support those children who are deemed to be living in destitution.
Which, by definition, is when in a month: a child has slept rough for one of more nights; they have had fewer than two meals a day; their home has had no heating or lighting for five or more days in a month; they have inappropriate clothing or footwear, and they don’t have access to basic toiletries.
Last year’s Children’s Commissioner report has echoed everything that we have been saying out loud, and seeing, for years. Children are living in ‘almost Dickensian levels of poverty’.
We urge everyone to read and share the report. As adults, we have a duty of care – and for many children, we are the only people they can rely on.
