Harehills ❤️ Love

Welcome to Day 17 of the 2025 Harehills Good News Advent Calendar.

We often hear about national charities coming into Harehills to “fix” things. But today, we are celebrating a movement that started right here in our classrooms and went on to fix the rest of the nation.

The Story Behind the Name Zarach isn’t a random acronym. It is the name of an 11-year-old boy who went to school right here in Harehills.

The story began at Shakespeare Primary School, just a stone’s throw from St James’s Hospital. Bex Wilson, a Deputy Headteacher, noticed that Zarach was struggling to stay awake in class. She didn’t write it off as “bad behaviour”—she asked why.

The answer he gave her—that he didn’t have a bed to sleep in—changed everything. Bex realised that she couldn’t teach a tired child. She delivered a bed to him that very day, and in doing so, she started a revolution.

From LS9 to the UK What started with one teacher in Harehills helping one student has exploded into a national phenomenon. This year, the charity named in that little boy’s honour reached a monumental milestone: 10,000 bed bundles delivered to children across the UK.

Think about that for a second. A moment of compassion in a Harehills classroom provided the blueprint for solving bed poverty across the entire country.

2025 Success The rest of the city has taken notice of what started here. In 2025, Zarach was named “Charity of the Year” by major partners like Barratt and David Wilson Homes, raising tens of thousands of pounds to ensure that every head has a bed.

Why It’s Good News This story isn’t about poverty; it’s about attention. It’s about the fact that in our schools, teachers like Bex pay attention to the children. They care enough to look beyond the uniform and support the whole child. Zarach is proof that when Harehills stands up for its young people, the ripples are felt everywhere.

Support the Mission:

• Donate: zarach.org
• Share: Tell people the story of the Harehills boy who inspired a movement.