For many children, ‘no crib for a bed’ is more than a line in a carol… it’s a fact of life

At its heart, the Christmas story is about a child born away from home, with nowhere to lay his head. A shocking recent report from the children’s charity Barnardo’s, entitled “No Crib for a Bed”, spells out the crisis affecting some 849,000 young people in Britain today – some 11 per cent in total – who do not have a satisfactory place to sleep at night. This newspaper is fully behind Zarach’s Christmas campaign to provide 500 beds for the most vulnerable children in our society – and to end bed poverty in Britain for good. There is another Christmas carol that reminds me how harsh realities have a way of intruding into festive scenes – and how even our most cherished stories, those infused with awe and wonder, have a way of connecting with the harsh realities of modern, everyday life: “O Little Town of Bethlehem”. Zarach is aiming to provide 500 beds – complete with toys and pyjamas – to children this Christmas Some weeks ago, in the aftermath of Hamas’s attacks and Israel’s ground offensive against Gaza, the heads of the churches in Jerusalem issued an instruction cancelling the public celebration of Christmas, with its lights, parties and festivities.