BookTrust Chief Executive Diana Gerald has been awarded an MBE in the King’s first Birthday Honours list in recognition of her services to Reading and Children’s Literature.
Gerald has been Chief Executive of BookTrust since 2015 and has been instrumental in refocusing the charity’s support to reach more children from low-income families, who have the most to gain from developing a regular reading habit.
BookTrust is the largest children’s reading charity in the UK, reaching over 1.75 million children across England, Wales and Northern Ireland every year with its books, resources and reading support.
“It is very humbling to be given this honour, ” Gerald said. “This is not just an honour for me but a recognition of the work of all BookTrust’s staff, Bookstart coordinators and partners at a local level and the librarians, childcare workers, health visitors, teachers, authors, illustrators, donors and publishers who support our work and who collectively make a difference to improving children’s lives through reading.”