At Bookmark, we want every child to read.

In a 'normal' year, one in four children leave primary school unable to read well. This year, schools, children and their families have faced extreme difficulties, with the cost of living crisis and school budget strains limiting one-to-one support and literacy resources available. The primary school attainment gap between disadvantaged children and their non-disadvantaged peers has widened to the largest it has been in 10 years and over 400,000 children do not own a book of their own at home.

It is vital that these children are supported as poor literacy skills can lead to a higher likelihood of dropping out of school, unemployment and can even shorten life expectancy.

To tackle this problem, on 15th April 2023, a team of Bookmark supporters will take on the epic Tough Mudder Challenge. Our Tough Mudders will run, slide, and climb through a 5km or 10km obstacle course to give children who are at risk of falling behind in their reading, a fair chance in life.

Here are a few ways you can support children's literacy:

£10 - Gift a school two books for their Your Story Corner

£13 - Gift a child one one-to-one Bookmark reading session

£20 - Gift a school a headset for one child for their Bookmark online reading programme

£50 - Give a Bookmark magazine to 100 children to inspire reading at home

£100 - Gift a school headsets for FIVE children for their Bookmark online reading programmes

£300 - Bring the termly Story Corner magazine to a whole school for a year

£1000 - Gift 8 children a reading programme so they can build the confidence and skills they need for a fair chance in life

To learn more about what we do and other ways you can support us, please visit: www.bookmarkreading.org.