Our Charity Partnership with The Sleep Charity
When it comes to sleeping better, we know a new mattress is just the tip of the iceberg. That’s why our partnership with The Sleep Charity (formerly The Children's Sleep Charity) is so important to us.
Our support of The Sleep Charity has not only helped raise money for a cause that we at Mattress Online hold close to our hearts, it has also equipped our team with essential knowledge and increased awareness around sleep, which we’ve shared with customers through advice and tips.
Read on to find out more about The Sleep Charity, how our partnership works and what you can do to support the organisation.
Who are The Sleep Charity?
Founded in 2012 by CEO Vicki Dawson, The Sleep Charity was originally titled ‘The Children’s Sleep Charity’. The organisation is rooted in Vicki’s mission to ‘help sleep-deprived parents and carers access essential sleep support’.
As a sleep-deprived mum herself, Vicki soon realised how important it was to understand the science behind sleep. She uses this knowledge to help educate others who are struggling with their sleep, whether they are children having difficulty settling at night or parents caught in a cycle of sleep loss.
In 2019, following many successful years of running the charity, Vicki and her team joined forces with a host of newly appointed ambassadors and patrons, including well-known names such as Shaun the Sheep, Zoe Salmon, Vicky Thornley, Baroness Goudie and Mark Thompson. These new ambassadors were not the only change the company welcomed in 2019. That year, the Children's Sleep Charity was officially renamed ‘The Sleep Charity’, enabling the organisation to increase its demographic and place more focus on helping a broad spectrum of people access better sleep.
The charity has shown no signs of slowing down on its mission to equip people with the right tools to achieve a better night's sleep. In 2020, it partnered with The Sleep Council, a non-profit organisation focused on helping people sleep better. This partnership has created a wider platform for the charity, helping it reach and teach a larger section of the UK population.
What does The Sleep Charity do?
The Sleep Charity was founded to help people sleep better. At the forefront of its mission are four main aims:
- Provide high-quality advice to people dealing with sleep issues
- Emphasise the importance of a good night’s sleep
- Campaign for improvement to the sleep support that is currently available
- Provide specialised training for workers so they can support colleagues in how to sleep better
To achieve these goals, the charity regularly hosts courses to train employees, NHS professionals and parents in maintaining better sleep practices.
Sleep ambassadors
The Sleep Charity trains individuals to become ‘workplace sleep ambassadors’. With an estimated 40% of employees suffering sleep issues, this course is a great way to improve the health and well-being of a business. It provides staff with the knowledge and tools needed to help other team members sleep better.
We're proud to have our own workplace sleep ambassador, trained by The Sleep Charity.
Find out more about workplace sleep ambassadors on The Sleep Charity website.
Sleep practitioners
The sleep practitioner course is aimed at professionals who are looking to support families with children over 12 months old. This course, led by experts, provides resources that allow newly qualified sleep practitioners to deliver sleep clinics in their local communities.
Head over to the Sleep Well Academy website to find out more about the three-day sleep practitioner course.
Sleep workshops
The Sleep Charity hosts a number of insightful workshops, tailored to a wide range of professionals. Running these workshops through their Sleep Well Academy, the talks emphasise the importance of sleep, how you can identify sleep issues and practical solutions for improving sleep.
Below are the four workshops currently offered by The Sleep Charity:
Recent figures show that over 5,000 people have trained with The Sleep Charity. This marks an important milestone in the organisation’s journey to help people sleep better, both here in the UK and internationally.
National sleep helpline
The National Sleep Helpline was launched by The Sleep Charity in 2021 to provide a more accessible way of receiving sleep support. The service connects trained sleep advisors with individuals who are struggling to achieve a healthy night's sleep. Advisors deliver useful advice and tips alongside warm conversations, creating a comforting experience that ultimately helps people sleep better. The helpline is open 7pm-9pm on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday evenings, with additional availability 9pm-11am on Monday and Wednesday mornings.
For more information about the support this helpline can offer, head over to The Sleep Charity website.
To call the helpline, ring 03303 530 541 .
Sleep Poverty Project
More than 22% of the UK population lives in poverty. To address this, The Sleep Charity launched the ‘Sleep Poverty Project’ across South Yorkshire. This project, launched in 2023, aims to raise awareness of bed poverty and provide much-needed essentials to help people achieve a better night’s sleep.
How does our charity partnership support The Sleep Charity?
Mattress Online has been working with The Sleep Charity since 2016. We’ve helped to raise thousands of pounds through in-house fundraising initiatives.
The MO Bake Off
Our first big event with The Sleep Charity was the Mattress Online Bake Off competition. Each week, a different member of staff brought in their baked goods and was scored on taste and presentation. Any member of staff who wished to try the treats was required to donate. Not only did we raise a tidy amount for the charity, but we also created a very happy and content workforce.
Corporate Partners
In 2020, Mattress Online took its relationship with The Sleep Charity a step further and became a ‘corporate partner’. This allowed us to work closely with the team, creating blogs and video content for the Mattress Online website. The advice content included valuable tips from Vicki at the charity on how to achieve a restful night’s sleep.
Educating ourselves, our staff and our customers on these themes is something that we at Mattress Online hold very dear to our hearts.
Click the links below to read some of the sleep health articles written by the Sleep Charity:
South Yorkshire Sleep Poverty Project
In 2023, we began contributing to the South Yorkshire Sleep Poverty Project by providing warehousing space and delivery support. As part of the project, we delivered the following items to local families:
- 96 mattresses
- 32 divan beds
- 35 duvets
- 60 pillows
Sleep Conference Sponsor
In 2024, The Sleep Charity hosted its very first Sleep Conference. Mattress Online has offered to sponsor the goody bags for this two-day event. The conference aims to highlight all that is happening within the sleep industry, allowing attendees to go away with new ideas, knowledge and skills to help support people struggling to sleep.
Business Fives
Football enthusiasts within the Mattress Online family regularly take part in the quarterly Business Fives competition. The local football event sees companies compete to reach the regional finals, with any money raised going to important causes and charities. Our most recent event raised funds for The Sleep Charity.
How can you support The Sleep Charity?
There are many ways that you can support The Sleep Charity, such as:
- Fundraising
- Monthly donations
- Volunteering
Donations and fundraising
Making a donation to The Sleep Charity is simple. You can choose to give a one-off donation or set up a monthly donation through JustGiving. You can also donate through Amazon Smile, at no extra cost to you - simply select The Sleep Charity when choosing the charity to which you want to donate.
Volunteering
Volunteering is another great way to support The Sleep Charity, especially if you’ve already completed one of their many training courses. Volunteer opportunities include:
- Volunteer Sleep Practitioners
- Sleep Talkers
For more information on the different volunteering opportunities, head over to The Sleep Charity website.
How can you get support?
If you are struggling to sleep or you have children, friends and family members who are struggling, The Sleep Charity has free resources that you can access. Contact the charity to improve your sleep quality and become equipped with the knowledge to help others. These resources can be found using the links below:
How our charity partnership is helping you sleep better
Not only does the partnership allow us to support all of the amazing work done by The Sleep Charity, it also means we can share expert advice with you on how to sleep better.
To help with this, staff from Mattress Online have completed the charity’s Workplace Sleep Ambassador course. These courses provided key information and tips about sleeping. We also use the information gathered from these courses in our sleep tips and guides, so you can be confident you are receiving up-to-date, helpful and accurate information.
If you’re looking for some quick tips to help you sleep, our expert article, ‘How to get to sleep fast: 7 top tips’ in partnership with Vicki Dawson is a great place to start.
If you or someone you know has ADHD, you might also be interested in our post titled ‘How to sleep with ADHD: 10 sleep tips to improve your bedtime routine’.
We really do care about your sleep. Our charity partnerships are one of the many ways we try to help you rest that you need. Why not check out the rest of our blogs for more sleep tips.
