MattressNextDay has chosen The Fifth Trust, an award-winning Kent-based charity supporting adults with learning disabilities, as its Charity of the Year for 2026.
The company, which has just celebrated winning its third NBF Online Bed Retailer of the Year award, has committed all its annual fundraising activities to support The Fifth Trust. The partnership will help the charity to continue delivering its services to more than 170 adults with learning disabilities across Kent.
The collaboration will see staff working together on fundraising initiatives and awareness-raising campaigns, with opportunities for employees to visit and engage directly with the charity’s work.
A group of students from The Fifth Trust recently visited the MattressNextDay office, showroom and warehouse in Whitstable, marking the initiation of this partnership and providing the students with an opportunity to see a real workplace in action.
Molly Beal, content lead and staff wellbeing co-ordinator at MattressNextDay, says: “It was a privilege to host some of The Fifth Trust students at our site recently to kick off our collaboration. Their excitement at meeting our team, testing the mattresses, and seeing our huge warehouse operation was contagious, and left the whole building buzzing with ideas about how we can fundraise as much as possible for this fantastic charity and their wonderful students.
"We’ll be spending the next couple of months brainstorming and planning some brilliant fundraising campaigns, ready to get things going as quickly as possible in the new year. This will be our first Charity of the Year, and it gives us the opportunity to work together to make a real difference within our community, as well as strengthen the bond between our team.”
Nikki Marley, CEO of The Fifth Trust, adds: “We are so delighted to have been chosen as MattressNextDay’s Charity of the Year for 2026. This partnership means so much to us – our staff, volunteers, and, most importantly, the learning-disabled students who access our vital services. We are excited to see what we can achieve with MattnessNextDay. With their support, we will be able to continue creating opportunities that help adults with learning disabilities build confidence, develop new skills, and thrive.”
The Fifth Trust provides day services for around 170 adults with learning disabilities at two skills centres in the Elham Valley near Canterbury. Students can access a wide range of activities and opportunities designed to help them achieve their potential, while also enjoying fulfilling, purposeful lives.
To fund its broad range of services, The Fifth Trust relies on the generosity of supporters – both individuals and organisations – alongside income from its award-winning social enterprises, the Vineyard Garden Centre and Café, which are open to the public seven days a week.
