£81 billion a year in lost earnings and welfare spending due to low levels of literacy.
Everything changes when you read.
We’re a UK charity with a mission to empower people of all ages to read.
Help change lives through reading
Reading for pleasure and empowerment makes us more aware and informed. It helps us grow our imaginations. It makes us more empathetic and understanding of other people and cultures. It supports our health and wellbeing. It increases our ability to learn new skills. It helps us to communicate our ideas more effectively. It opens doors. It brings joy.
Please donate to support our work.
Our Research
Research and evidence is central to helping us achieve our mission. We speak to people of all ages across the UK to understand how and why they read, the successes and challenges they face and how our work can make a real difference.
1 in 4 children don’t reach the expected level of reading by the age of 11
Featured booklist: Big Sporting Read
Resources for Librarians
World Mental Health Day 2024 - library toolkit
A toolkit to support libraries to get involved with World Mental Health Day (10 October 2024). The toolkit includes useful information, resources, display and activity…
A Book of People Like Me - Colouring sheets
Full of interesting details about today’s world, _A Book of People Like Me_ is told in a naturally inclusive way with richly coloured illustrations from…
War of the Worlds by Chris Mould - Draw along activity sheet
*A stunning full-colour illustrated adaptation of H.G. Wells' sci-fi classic, from the illustrator of _The Iron Man_ and _Animal Farm_.* 'Those who have never seen…
Twenty-Four Seconds From Now by Jason Reynolds - teaching resources
A tender teen love story from the Carnegie Award-winning author of Look Both Ways. 'Jason Reynolds has done it again!' Judy Blume Seventeen-year-old Neon is…
Latest News
The Big Sporting Read – People’s Choice
With the summer of sport coming to a close we asked you to tell us your Big Sporting Reads and moments of this summer.
Vacancy: HR Manager
We are looking for a confident and experienced HR generalist with strong knowledge of key HR practices including recruitment and…
BBC’s 500 Words 2024
500 Words, the UK’s most successful writing competition run by the BBC is back! The competition will be open from Tuesday 26 September to Friday 10 November 2023.
Library Facts
Explore key facts about libraries, including the numbers of libraries, the demographics of library users and the outcomes of using libraries.
Reading Facts
We want to create a world where everyone is reading their way to a better life. Explore UK-wide reading statistics and facts.
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