Mr Motivator Creates Bed Bank Helping End UK Bed Poverty

The campaign, by Leo UK, reframes ‘The Wrong Side Of The Bed' to spotlight the reality that children face across the UK who don't have a proper bed at all

By Creative Salon

13 March 2026

Launching today on World Sleep Day (13th March), TV personality and fitness instructor Mr Motivator has launched Bed Bank, a new charity tackling bed poverty in the UK, supported by a pro-bono integrated campaign by Leo UK, spanning film, print and OOH.

Bed poverty affects over one million children in the UK. It is not directly linked to homelessness; many children are living in family homes but do not have a proper bed of their own, instead sleeping on floors, sofas, shared beds or makeshift arrangements.

According to Barnardo’s No Crib for a Bed report (2023), 894,000 children slept on a floor or shared a bed in the past year, while more than one million parents gave up their own sleep so their child could use the only bed available.

To highlight this issue, the campaign reframes the familiar phrase “waking up on the wrong side of the bed” to highlight a harsher reality facing children across the UK - many simply don’t have a proper bed at all. For hundreds of thousands of children growing up without a safe comfortable place to sleep, the phrase takes on a far more literal meaning. The work aims to bring national attention to bed poverty and the profound impact that a lack of sleep can have on children’s health, wellbeing and development.

At the heart of the campaign is a spoken-word film produced by Untold Studios and directed by Charlie Sarsfield, known for his work with artists such as Billie Eilish, YungBlud and Lewis Capaldi. The three-minute film follows a young boy’s day at school as he struggles to get through it. Provocative lyrics draw viewers in, whilst layered sound design recreates the overwhelming fatigue and sensory overload of long-term exhaustion. Drawing on poetry and UK Rap - the film reflects a wider cultural truth about how poverty persists unseen in modern Britain.

The campaign also extends into print and OOH, with the creative using handwritten statements on bedsheets such as: “What’s the point in dreaming when you’re not even sleeping?” to continue the story. The handwriting was created completely by children of different ages and with different handwriting styles - before being placed on sheets and hung from washing lines and balconies across the UK. Photography was by Owen Hunter Jenkins and was produced by Prodigious. Media planning and buying is led by Zenith, with the work boosted on YouTube and rolled out across social channels to drive awareness and donations.

Mr Motivator’s BedBank was founded by Derrick Evans MBE in response to the growing issue of bed poverty in the UK. The charity raises awareness, raises funds and awards grants to organisations working on the ground tackling the issue, enabling them to deliver beds and bedding directly to families in need.

Derrick Evans MBE said: “A safe, warm bed should never be a luxury. It is the foundation of a child’s health, energy and confidence. When a child has to sleep on the floor or on a sofa, they wake up tired before the day has even begun. That is not the start any child deserves.

Mr Motivator’s Bed Bank is here to change that. We are not here to blame families. We are here to stand with them, lift them up and work with communities to make sure every child has a safe, comfortable bed of their own. Because when a child sleeps well, they wake up ready to move, ready to learn and ready to dream big. And that is something every child deserves”

Helen Rogerson and Owen Hunter Jenkins, senior creatives at Leo UK, added: “This project genuinely came from the heart. We were initially asked to help shape Bed Bank’s brand, and as part of that we wrote a series of tone-of-voice documents. One of those was a piece of spoken word, which when we read aloud - the room fell silent. We knew then that it couldn’t just live on a page.

What’s been most powerful is how many people have personally connected to the issue. Across creative, production and post so many of our team have either experienced housing instability themselves or seen first-hand the impact lack of sleep can have on children. It formed a little collective that really believed in the cause and were more than happy to fight for it. So, it’s really all down to amazing people that we actually made this happen.”

Charlie Sarsfield, Director, said: “Working with Derrick and the Bed Bank team meant translating a vital social issue into something that feels human and lived. Our role was to take the vision and give it clarity and focus so that audiences can see the impact without being told what to feel. It’s about empathy and understanding the depth of the challenge the young people navigate on a daily basis.”

Credits

Agency: Leo UK

CCO: Mark Elwood

Executive Creative Directors: James Millers & Andrew Long

Senior Creatives: Owen Hunter Jenkins & Helen Rogerson

Senior Producer: Peter Williams

Project Director: Jamie Teale

Business Director Tegwen Tucker

Planning Partner: Amelia Redding

Creative Director of Design: David Allen

Senior Designer: Danny Flint

Production Company: Untold Studios