This year, we are thrilled to announce DFS as a lead furniture partner for the BBC Children in Need Emergency Essentials programme. Together, we’re supporting families living in furniture poverty, a hidden reality for millions of people across the UK, including around 1 million children.
The BBC Children in Need Emergency Essentials programme delivers urgently needed household items to children and families living without. These include essentials that most of us take for granted, like a sofa to sit on, a bed to sleep in, a cooker to provide hot meals and other furnishings and white goods that are critical to children’s wellbeing.
New research commissioned by DFS (survey of 2,000 adults across the UK) found that:
- 30% of adults have gone without essential furniture because they couldn’t afford it.
- Four in 10 parents said they would, or have, worried about being unable to replace their child’s bed or other essential furniture if it broke.
- Despite the scale of the issue, 76% of adults surveyed had never heard the term “furniture poverty” before taking part in the research.
All money raised through customer donations and colleague fundraising activity – as well as furniture donations from DFS – will go directly to the Emergency Essentials programme, helping give families living in furniture poverty the foundations to create a more comfortable home.
It’s more than a sofa. Up to 1.1 million people are unable to afford a sofa or chairs for their home*. This may leave a child too embarrassed to invite their friends over, making them feel isolated. A sofa gives them the confidence to socialise at home with people they care about, relax and be themselves.
It’s more than a table. Having nowhere to sit at mealtimes can take away the sense of pride and togetherness a family deserves. A table offers a chance to eat together, connect and bond.
It’s more than a bed. Up to 1 million children in the UK have to share a bed or sleep on the floor**. This leaves them tired, anxious and unable to thrive at school. A bed means a child feels warm, safe, comfortable and rested.
Emergency Essentials referrerAs a Community Links Worker, I assist people living in social and economic deprived areas and am based at a busy GP Practice. Your sofa donations have assisted a family who fled domestic abuse and went through the homeless route and are now living in a secure tenancy. They had a small 2nd hand sofa and could not sit together as a family. Your new sofa has made such a difference to them - they are planning "movie nights" and are so happy to get a brand new sofa. It is so nice to be able to assist a family with such a practical item
DFS runs a year-round customer prize draw called Give Me Five, which raises hundreds of thousands of pounds for BBC Children in Need every year. Every customer that donates £5 is entered into a monthly prize draw to win the cost of their order for free!
What’s more, DFS colleagues go above and beyond, getting stuck into all sorts of fun and creative fundraising year after year. From taking part in marathons and sponsored hikes to running raffles and bake sales, they’ve shown just how powerful coming together can be.
Since we first partnered with DFS back in 2013, they have raised over £8.6 million for children and young people across the UK.
*End Furniture Poverty The Extent of Furniture Poverty 2026 March 2026
**Barnardo’s No Crib for a bed: the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on bed poverty September 2023
