Booktrust shortlisted for major charity award

Booktrust has been shortlisted for the prestigious Third Sector Big Impact Award for the national reading programme, Bookstart. The award recognises a project that has had a substantial impact on national or international life. Celebrating its 20th year in 2012, Bookstart, the early years intervention programme, has already reached more than 30 million babies and toddlers through the gift of free books at key ages before they start school. The programme inspires a love of reading that will give children a flying start in life. Guidance materials support parents and carers in enjoying books with their children from as early an age as possible.

As Michael Rosen says:
‘We now know that if we share books with children right from the time they are babies, we are helping them enormously to understand the world. It's all about looking, listening and talking. Bookstart offers the perfect way in: free books in your hand with all sorts of great suggestions about keeping up the habit of sharing books with our children. It's a great scheme.’

Bookstart is delivered through a public/private partnership (PPP), which uses government funding to lever generous support from children's publishers. This model, driven by Booktrust, delivers outstanding value for money and real social benefit: an independent study valued the Social Return on Investment at £1 to £25 - meaning that every £1 invested generated a benefit to society of £25.

The impact of the programme has spread well beyond the UK, with affiliate programmes working along the Bookstart model in over 20 countries around the world. Find out more about the impact that Bookstart makes.

Last year, Booktrust won the Third Sector Charity Partnership Award for our work with Fostering Network Northern Ireland on the Letterbox Club. The winners of the 2012 awards will be announced at a ceremony on September 27 in central London.