Thanet Iceberg Project has provided 35 beds for local income families who had previously been sleeping on the floor.  

Established in 2018, Thanet Iceberg Project helps individuals and households across Thanet to combat the causes of poverty whilst overcoming its symptoms. They run three projects, The Lounge, where the community can come together for a drink and a snack, The Loft, where pre-loved furniture and small household items are given to those who need them and Crossroads, to offer advice, support and where needed, practical assistance.

They applied to Kent Community Foundation for funding to help provide beds and received a grant of £5,000 from the Albert Burns Children’s Charitable Trust Fund. 

“When we applied to Kent Community Foundation we were being inundated with heart-breaking requests for beds and bedding from families where the children were sleeping on the floor and often using coats as a mattress,” said Alexander Roarke, Chief Executive, Thanet Iceberg Project. “Since we received the grant we have been able to provide beds for 35 children. One mum of two children said to us, ‘I can’t believe that you would do this for us’, and when we delivered a bed to a child, they said to us ‘What? This is mine?’ before running around the room singing, ‘I got my own bed; I got my own bed.’“

Children sleeping on the floor given their own bed
A bed being made in the warehouse. “Before applying for a grant, we spoke with a mattress manufacturer to negotiate a special discounted rate and we liaised with a carpentry company who agreed to help us to source and cut to size the wood needed to make the bed bases.” – Alexander Roarke
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Nisha Kotecha is the Founder of Good News Shared. Having worked and volunteered for charities in the UK for over 10 years, Nisha is on a mission to highlight how amazing charities are.

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