Schools in Lockdown
At the beginning of lockdown we contacted all the schools we currently work with asking if there was anything we could do to help. Give a Book has since supplied over 1000 children’s books to schools. Here are some of the initiatives that these schools have put into place to help the books reach the children.
Lockdown has changed a lot about our daily lives that we wouldn’t have given a second thought about. As a child we might have jumped at the chance of not going to school for a while, but reality is far from the fantasy of endless days without lessons, homework and exams. We spend a large portion of our childhood in school and they are the one place, particularly for some children where they can access learning resources, education and last but not least, books. Give a Book has worked with schools across the country in areas of high deprivation and where access to books is limited for the children both at school and at home. These communities have been hit hard in this crisis period. Schools may now have only a handful of students, but we have seen from each one that we have supported, other measures put into place to ensure the children’s education and development are not halted.
Who we have supported so far
Alongside the charity Learn to Love to Read, we supplied over 100 books for packs for families in Wandsworth. We provided assistance to Heathmere school in Roehampton who we have worked with since 2014, supplying over 200 books for the Roehampton community boxes to go with food parcels for vulnerable families.
St Mary’s CE in Lewisham have been sending ‘playpacks’ home to vulnerable families in which they have included our books.
“This means that the children have new and fresh reading material and that that get to keep the book which for many of our children is a real novelty, so from all of us at St Mary’s, a very big thank you!”
More recently, with the help of a grant from the Westminster Foundation, we have supported Queens Park Primary and Pimlico Toy Library in the borough. The former set up book huts in the library and are hosting books swaps so children or parents can keep accessing new books during the lockdown.
Lockdown has reminded us of the importance of reading and the joy it can bring, so we have invited schools to send in book reviews from children. It was a chance for children to share a book they love and perhaps inspire others to read to. Our first three from Manorfield can be found here.
With the increase in demand for books in schools we have set up a Facebook fundraiser to raise money. Now more than ever ANY donation will make an impact, whether it’s £2 or £20, every penny will go towards buying books for families to enjoy together, for children to read before bed and for all to escape into a world and be released for a time from our imminent surroundings. You can help by helping us to provide the ultimate transaction of worth, to give a book. Click here to donate.
01.06.2020