When my siblings and I were growing up, my mom made a point to read to us every night, without fail. She did this while working full-time as a high school English teacher. Whatever had happened earlier in the day, we knew that she would still make time to read to us. A personal favourite was The Chronicles of Narnia series, where she made up voices and accents for each character. 

Her creativity and excitement for reading fostered a sense of curiosity and a love of learning that I still have today. As an adult, I always look forward to discussing books with her. 

I recognise how fortunate I am to have had a role model in my life who instilled a love of literature and learning from an early age.  It is a pleasure to fundraise for an amazing organisation like Doorstep Library who works to instil that same sense of creativity and confidence to children in London. 

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Doorstep Library brings books and the magic of reading directly to the homes of children in some of London's most disadvantaged areas. Volunteers read with the children, lend them books, befriend the families and offer support. Poor reading skills are inextricably linked to economic disadvantage and reduced life possibilities. Our work improves not just reading skills, but confidence, self-esteem, articulacy, social integration, academic performance and even long-term employment prospects.