The end of ‘24 is a time for a period of reflection and planning. In 2025 we’ll celebrate our 5th birthday and Read With Me will change from a Community Interest Company to a charity.
By January we’ll be in 100 schools with more than 300 volunteers supported by a small but dedicated ‘head office’ team. In 2024 we’ve expanded our secondary school provision which has seen pupils increase their reading ages by two years in one term and we’ve done the groundwork for 2025 to be able to support children who are out of mainstream schooling and in special provision.
We’ve also hosted more than 30 Not So Secret Book Club events and given away a warehouse of books. As a result, thousands of children are improving their reading skills every week and building the confidence which will help them really maximise their potential.
It’s hugely rewarding running any social enterprise but it’s now more challenging than ever before with demand increasing and a precarious funding landscape. By becoming a charity we’ll be able to claim gift aid on personal donations which will have a positive impact on achieving our fundraising targets.
Read With Me has been incredibly fortunate to grow its base of dedicated volunteers who not only turn up every week to read with children but also fundraise and help at Not So Secret Book Club events which we hold every school holiday and provide reading activities and of course free books.
If you, or someone you know, would like to know more about volunteering with Read With Me, click here.
We’ve benefited from incredible support from community business partners including Bennetts Coaches, BiGDUG, BPE and Spirax Sarco and in January will be launching our 100 X £1k initiative to ask 100 County business to commit £1,000 to support children to develop the essential skills which will power Gloucestershire business in the future.
If you go down the Bristol Road in Gloucester you’ll be able to see the wonderful BiGDUG Advent calendar which not only highlights our work but each door of the calendar opens to reveal an illustration of a favourite book character drawn by some of the children we hear read.
Read With Me is also extremely fortunate to have the support of private individuals who give so generously of their time and funding as well as so many individuals who make regular monthly donations, support ‘The Gift Of Reading’, buy Christmas cards and sponsor the thousands of children who took part in our Gloucester Team 10k events this summer/autumn. Finally Gloucestershire Gateway Trust – our strength and stay from the beginning.
Can you, or your business, help us? Donate or get in touch today.
Finally, we rounded off the year with a wonderful volunteer event held at Gloucester Cathedral in the heart of Kingsholm. This was the perfect opportunity to spend time together, celebrate achievements and ideas at the place where Read With Me began.
Thank you all so very much.
