I'm taking on the iconic London Landmark's Half Marathon this April 2025 to support children's reading with Bookmark!

At Bookmark, we want every child to read.

Currently, more than one in four children leave primary school unable to read well. Disadvantaged children are disproportionately affected, leaving primary school on average a year behind their peers. Furthermore, one in five children in the UK don’t own a book of their own at home.

Reading is about so much more than just books, it’s a cornerstone to feeling safe, secure, and independent. Without the ability to read, we would not be able to succeed in school, secure employment, or even understand a medical prescription.

Children who don't read well are more likely to drop out of school, become unemployed, or even have a shorter life expectancy.

Bookmark helps children develop the reading skills and confidence they need for a life of opportunity by delivering wrap-around support to schools which includes:

1) One-to-one six-week volunteer-led reading programmes - for children at risk of not meeting the expected standard in reading.

2) Termly or one-off book packs - to support the development of engaging reading spaces and strong reading cultures in schools.

3) Termly literacy magazine 'The Story Corner’ - delivered just ahead of the school holidays so that children have access to high quality reading materials at home.

4) Providing additional support to teachers - through grants, literacy consultancy, support and training resource.