Category: News

Welcoming our first ever patron to the team.

Author: Anna Powell
21st May 2025

We are delighted to announce that Lauren Laverne has become our first-ever patron.
Her appointment will amplify awareness of the transformative power of children’s books –
whether inspiring families to donate books they’ve outgrown or galvanising the publishing industry to support the cause through advocacy and surplus stock donations.

Lauren joins us at a pivotal moment. In 2025, we will gift an unprecedented 520,000 books to children living in the most challenging circumstances – reaching over 400 primary schools, food banks, women’s refuges, and prisons. By 2027, we aim to gift one million books annually, unlocking the power of reuse to reach even more young readers.

Commenting on her appointment, Lauren said:
“Childhood book poverty means fewer opportunities for families to share time together, for children to discover new ideas, or to find refuge in stories and pictures. It affects how young people see themselves and their access to education. I’m proud to support the Children’s Book Project and look forward to working with them to shine a light on this important issue – and to engage publishers and book-buying families in making a difference.”

A long-standing advocate for the arts, Lauren is hosting the British Book Awards – the
‘Oscars’ of the industry for the sixth time this May. She has presented television programmes including The Culture Show and BBC’s Glastonbury coverage, and in 2018 became the host of the iconic radio show Desert Island Discs. She also presents the late-morning show on BBC Radio 6 Music and is the author of a 2022 children’s book series published by HarperCollins.

Our CEO Liberty Venn is thrilled at the appointment of our new patron:
“Lauren’s work spans audiences and genres, and her support will help us mobilise the
publishing industry and families across the country. Together, we can ensure more children have the chance to choose, own, and fall in love with books – transforming their childhoods in the process.”

Welcome to the team, Lauren!

Our work with football clubs across the UK is expanding

Author: Kirstin Knell
8th May 2025

Football clubs have always been at the heart of communities, bringing people together in support of their team, but also providing a support network to local families.

We recognised this role that football clubs play, the power of their voice to communicate with huge fan bases, as well as their work with communities through trusts and foundations, often with children who live just a short walk from the stadium.
We began in 2022 with Watford FC running a book drive for us on a match day and in their club shop. They collected 5,000 books which we then sorted and boxed up ready for delivery to Warren Dell Primary School.
An amazing story of cyclical giving, with one football fan giving something he or she no longer needs to a child who is excited to receive it.

Since then, we’ve expanded our programme and this year we worked with Leeds United, Aston Villa, Fulham, Brentford, Queen’s Park Rangers, Croydon FC and Arsenal. Children at primary schools close to these clubs have had free pop up bookshops, at which they’ve been able to choose and keep 2 books of their own, many for the first time. Teachers tell us that these bookshops give the children not only the books, but an increased self-confidence, of seeing themselves as a reader and of understanding the language of choice.

Next year we’re excited to expand our work and invite football clubs across the country to run book drives for us, using stories the share the joy of reading through the football-loving community.

For more information, email kirstin@childrensbookproject.co.uk

Author: Anna Powell
11th April 2025

In 2021 we began working with a small group of prisons, setting up free bookshops and allowing prisoners to come and choose books for the children in their lives, write an accompanying letter and have them posted out. These books will be the only thing which a parent can send their child while they are in prison so the importance of them could not be underestimated.

Learnings from these first pilot projects informed our Share a Story programme which has now rolled out across 24 prisons nationwide, permitting children that suffer the social stigma and emotional loss of a parent in prison to receive up to ten books a year, chosen by or together with, that parent.

The programme was developed in conjunction with family liaison teams at HMP Ashfield, HMP Doncaster, HMP Dovegate and HMP Lowdham Grange. It seeks to provide every prisoner with the means to connect, reconnect and build bridges with the children and young people in their family through the powerful medium of stories, illustrations, and imagination. We know that the risk of reoffending is reduced substantially if a parent stays in contact with their family. Despite this, many prisoners dissociate themselves from their families on entering prison, either from a sense of shame or as a coping mechanism. Share a Story provides an accessible, low pressure means of engaging with family members and building / rebuilding relationships.

Children’s books are inherently accessible, inclusive and above all, enjoyable. The gift of a personally selected book from a parent to a child demonstrates a desire to forge a common interest or to reflect an understanding of the recipient’s interests. The child in turn receives a gift from their parent, knows they are thought of and shares common ground.

Quotes from two of our volunteers following a Pop Up Bookshop at HMP Peterborough in March reveal the impact on parents of the opportunity to choose and send books home to their children:

“We love to run our Pop-Up Bookshops in prisons. At our first bookshop today [at the female prison site] you could feel the excitement and buzz in the library as soon as the ladies came in. They hardly believed they could choose from so many beautiful, fun books and send them home to their families. Over one hundred books were sent out to children from the morning session alone. On the male site it was just as celebratory an event with some of the male prisoners worried about joining in at first but then couldn’t help picking up the books!! We sent over one hundred books home to children here too”.

“There were also many poignant moments that remind us how valuable it is to offer prisoners these opportunities to connect with their families and make their day a little better. One young lady began to cry as she picked up the books and told us her kids loved story time with her and simply seeing the children’s books was bringing back happy memories. She told us her daughter would “probably cry at first because I am not present, and she misses me but will be happier after when she realises we can still do what we would do when I am there, which is read together. So she will still feel close to Mummy. Thank you”.

Over 200 Poster Sites per week nationwide throughout March, thanks to JCDecaux

Author: Anna Powell
5th March 2025

For millions of children in the UK, owning a book is a distant dream. We are tackling this with our first ever national roadside advertising campaign, urging families to pass on pre-loved books and help close the gap.

Launching on 3rd March, the ‘Power of a Pre-Loved Book’ campaign will run for four weeks across digital billboards and Communication Hubs across the UK.

This year, we will gift over 600,000 new and pre-loved books to children experiencing book poverty. This campaign aims to make book ‘pass-me-ons’ second nature for families – encouraging them to pass on books their children have outgrown, and in doing so, share the joy and escapism of reading.

Campaign imagery – featuring optimistic yellow tones, a playful font, and flying books – is designed to reflect limitless possibilities of storytelling. The language used was inspired by creative workshops held in primary schools directly supported by the charity, ensuring that the voices of children are at the heart of the campaign. Three different creative executions highlight the distinctive power of books to elicit joy, to inspire us and to fuel imaginations.

The campaign is made possible by the support of the JCDecaux Community Channel which provides charities with access to digital advertising locations. Errror plus creative design agency Stop, Look and Listen have together helped bring the vision to life, while Wonderbly, the world’s leading creator of personalised books for children. and illustrator Geoffrey Waring have donated all book illustrations used throughout the campaign.

Our CEO, Liberty Venn declared that “Every book sitting unread on a shelf could spark a child’s imagination. Over forty-two million children’s books are sold each year, and there is so much potential to give these books a second home. Thanks to JCDecaux Community Channel, this campaign will help us reach new families, inspire more donations, and bring us closer to our ambition of gifting over one million books annually.”

Chris Dooley, Head of Social Impact at JCDecaux UK commented that “JCDecaux Community Channel is proud to support The Children’s Book Project in its mission to tackle book poverty and inspire a love of reading. By using the power of the public screen, this campaign will help spread awareness and encourage families to pass on pre-loved books, ensuring more children have access to the joy and opportunity that reading brings.”

Asi Sharabi, CEO of Wonderbly said “At Wonderbly, our mission has always been to ignite children’s imaginations through personalised storytelling. Yet, for many children, owning a book remains a remote possibility. That’s why we’re incredibly proud to support this inspiring initiative—working together to place books into the hands of those who need them most. We’re privileged to collaborate with an extraordinary team of creative talents, and we’re thrilled to contribute vibrant, captivating illustrations that will help amplify this cause and inspire more people to share the joy of reading.”.

Tony Davidson & Kim Papworth at Errror commented; “Simple posters that explain the emotional benefits of passing on pre-loved children’s books. It’s a no brainer. Everyone should do this.”

Marc Spicer & Rosey Trickett of Stop, Look & Listen also commented; “Books and stories can undoubtedly fuel imaginations and bring joy to to children’s lives, and there’s so much joy in the way that Children’s Book Project go about their inspiriffic work. We’re delighted to have been able to help bring that to life visually throughout March, and hope the word is spread far and wide!”

How You Can Help

– Donate pre-loved children’s books through the Children’s Book Project.

– Spread the word by sharing your poster photos using the hashtag #inspirrific

Together, help us turn one book into a million possibilities.

Welcoming our First Intern and Celebrating their Wonderful Contribution to our Team.

Author: Anna Powell
27th February 2025

We’re thrilled to celebrate a milestone at The Children’s Book Project – welcoming our very first intern, Flynn! Flynn has become an invaluable part of our team, helping us get more books into the hands of children who need them most.

But don’t just take our word for it – here’s what Flynn has to say about his experience so far!

“Over the past two months, I’ve had the privilege of interning with the Children’s Book Project, helping the organisation tackle book poverty. This experience has been eye-opening, providing insight into the challenges many children face in accessing books and the transformative power of literacy. Working with such a passionate and dedicated team, I’ve seen first-hand how the simple gift of a book can open doors to possibility and imagination.

As an intern, I’ve been fortunate to take on a wide range of tasks and roles within the charity, allowing me to gain hands-on experience across different areas of the organization. Three days a week, I help lead groups of volunteers as we sort and prepare donated books for distribution to schools and prisons. On the other two days, I support the school liaison team, ensuring that all recipients are equipped to use our books in the most impactful way possible. These responsibilities have given me a comprehensive view of the operations behind book distribution while allowing me to connect with amazing people dedicated to this mission.

Outside of the day-to-day operations, I’ve also had the incredible opportunity to represent the charity on special trips, such as a visit to the House of Lords. However, my absolute highlight has been visiting recipient schools and collaborating with them to host book gifting days. There’s nothing quite as rewarding as seeing the excitement on children’s faces when they receive their very own book—and taking the time to reassure them that these books are theirs to keep! Moments like these remind me why this work is so important, and I can’t wait to meet many more fantastic pupils and teachers as this journey continues.

Teamwork truly fuels our mission here. The friendly, open communication within the team ensures that I’m never far from a helping hand, no matter the task. This experience has allowed me to not only grow in confidence but also gain a deeper understanding of the real-world impact of Children’s Book Project’s mission. It’s been inspiring to see how collaboration, kindness, and shared purpose come together to make such a difference.

A huge thank you to Children’s Book Project for welcoming me into their team, for their support, guidance, and the invaluable learning opportunities along the way. I’m so grateful for this experience and look forward to carrying these lessons forward.”

Over 100,000 Books Donated via Asda Stores so far!

Author: Anna Powell
24th February 2025

We’re delighted to share that our partnership with Asda has already resulted in over 100,000 pre-loved children’s books being donated via donation trolleys in more than 380 Asda stores nationwide. These books are now being gifted to families across the UK, helping children discover the joy of reading.

This year, we aim to distribute over half a million books to children with very few of their own, and the incredible support from Asda and their customers is playing a huge part in helping us achieve this goal. We want to say a massive thank you to everyone who has donated so far – your generosity is truly making a difference!

Asda’s Community Champions: Making It Happen

Community is at the heart of everything Asda does, and their Community Champions have been instrumental in supporting this initiative. One standout champion is Carole Rowland from Asda Basingstoke, who has gone above and beyond to help engage local families. Reflecting on her own love of reading, Carole shared:

“Since childhood, I’ve always been an avid reader, taking you to another world and leaving day-to-day stress for a while. At a very young age, I struggled with literacy, but once I got through the early years, I’ve not stopped.”

We’re so grateful to Carole and all the Community Champions for their help in connecting us with the communities ASDA serves.

Please help us!

If you have pre-loved children’s books to donate, it’s easy to get involved. Look out for our donation trolleys in your local participating ASDA store and help us bring the magic of stories to even more children.

Thank you, ASDA, for your incredible support – and to all the generous families who are helping us make a lasting impact. Together, we’re creating a brighter future for children across the UK, by encouraging a lifelong love of reading.