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Communities and local areas

We target our work in the communities that need help most, working with local partners to deliver place-based solutions.
Young child on her own girl greyscale happy Community_National Literacy Trust

Every community faces different challenges and has different assets and partners, so we need local solutions. Significant government investment and a national educational policy have not achieved results in the most deprived areas.

We believe that by taking coordinated action at a local level to drive up literacy levels, we can support increased educational attainment and employability skills, and improve health outcomes and social capital.

National Literacy Trust Hubs and regional campaigns work in communities to achieve these aims.

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  • Our approach

    Learn more about our experience in local communities and the benefits of our Hubs approach.

    More details

  • Local authorities

    Discover how we can work with you and your local partners to develop a plan to address low literacy.

    Find out more

  • Our place-based model

    Download a report on the development of the our place-based model.

    Read the report

  • Improving outcomes for children

    Read our literature review on the effectiveness of place-based programmes and campaigns in improving outcomes for children.

    Read more

  • Hubs report

    Download a report on the impact of our first three Hubs in Middlesbrough, Bradford and Peterborough.

    Read the report

National Literacy Trust Hubs

National Literacy Trust Hubs bring together local partners to tackle literacy issues in communities across the UK where low levels of literacy are seriously impacting on people’s lives.

We work with local businesses, health, education and cultural organisations to help raise literacy levels in our Hub areas. Our approach is different in each place we work because every community has different needs and this is the best way to create long-lasting change.

Each Hub has a public-facing campaign brand.

  • We work in Birmingham to raise literacy levels and change the life stories of young people and adults across the city.
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  • We are helping children at the highest risk of low literacy in the Black Country.
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  • We works with local partners, schools and businesses in Blackpool to promote reading for pleasure among children and families.
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  • Since 2014, we have been fighting illiteracy in Bradford through unique, community-driven projects.
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  • Find out more about the Chat, Play, Read, Camborne & Redruth, our local campaign in Cornwall.
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  • By encouraging a love of reading, we’re helping the children of Doncaster improve their literacy levels and achieve their full potential.
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  • National Literacy Trust in Dundee launched in November 2022 to spread a love of storytelling across the city.
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  • In Hastings, we're working to develop a town of confident and ambitious young people with the literacy skills they need to succeed in life.
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  • Read Manchester is led in partnership with Manchester City Council and engages local families with books and stories, and inspires them to make reading a priority in their...
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  • We have been working to improve the literacy levels of children in Middlesbrough since 2013.
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  • In Nottingham we work with families and young children to improve their life chances by giving them the early literacy skills they need.
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  • We work in Peterborough to inspire families across the city to read together to support children’s literacy skills.
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  • Our work in Stoke-on-Trent inspires the city to enjoy reading and helps parents to support their children’s literacy skills.
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  • Our work in Suffolk inspires families across the county to read together, and helps parents to support their children’s literacy skills.
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  • Our work in Swindon is an innovative campaign to boost literacy levels across the region.
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  • Our work along the Yorkshire Coast brings people across Whitby, Scarborough and Filey together to champion literacy.
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Local and regional campaigns

  • We work across the North East to raise children’s literacy levels and set them up with the skills they need to thrive in later life.
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  • Our three-year campaign in the London-borough of Islington is made up of a fully funded programme for Key Stages 2 and 3 in 16 local schools. Our aim is to embed reading...
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Other local campaigns

  • Connecting Stories is a fully funded calendar of events, supported by Arts Council England, 43 publishers and over 95 authors and creatives.
    Learn more
  • Reading is a great way to calm your mind, boost your mood and escape elsewhere – and it doesn’t have to be a book. It could be a post-match report for Saturday’s game, a...
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  • Easy and accessible resources for parents, carers and early years settings with children aged 0-5.
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