On Monday 10 November 2025, we were honoured to be one of five organisations invited to 10 Downing Street to celebrate the power of partnerships in driving meaningful change.
The event shone a spotlight on the National Year of Reading 2026, a collective impact campaign to tackle the steep decline in reading enjoyment among children, young people and adults that will reach into every corner of society: schools, communities, libraries, workplaces, the justice system, and early years settings.
This national movement will be delivered and celebrated through a powerful network of partners - schools, libraries, community groups, and cross-sector collaborations spanning business, media, and all levels of government.
We’re proud to be part of this partnership, working together to make reading a shared national passion.
At a time when reading enjoyment among children and young people is at an all-time low, access to a diverse range of books in schools with strong reading for pleasure cultures is more important than ever. But 1 in 7 state primary schools in the UK do not have a library, and this rises to 1 in 4 schools in disadvantaged areas.
Ensuring every primary school has a library will be critical to the impact and legacy of the National Year of Reading 2026 and ensure all children experience the transformative power of reading to build confidence, improve wellbeing, and impact academic success.
It has always been our ambition to partner with the government to ensure all children have access to the life-changing benefits of a school library. We can now see this as a reality, following the Chancellor's announcement in September that there will be a library in every state primary school in England by the end of this parliament.
The government's commitment will put us one giant step closer to achieving our ambition of a library in every primary school in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland by 2029.
Our ambition would not be possible without the amazing partners we work with - authors, illustrators, funders, publishers, and supporters across sectors.
We are also grateful to the army of Literacy Champion volunteers who are ambassadors for change across the UK – sharing a passion for reading and coming alongside their communities to help us equip and empower families and peers with the literacy skills they need to thrive. This week’s visit to 10 Downing Street was also an opportunity to celebrate the longstanding contribution of two dedicated Literacy Champion volunteers from Stoke-on-Trent.
How our Literacy Champions boost reading enjoyment in their community
Jayden, aged 11, and his mother Caroline from Stoke-on-Trent, were invited to be part of a reception at No 10. Alongside Jonathon Douglas, Chief Executive of the National Literacy Trust, they represented the charity and demonstrated the impact that organisations can have when delivering work in partnership with government.
Four years ago, Jayden himself was a reluctant reader who felt books were not for him. But when his mother Caroline started volunteering with the National Literacy Trust in Stoke-on-Trent, he took an interest in the charity’s activities and decided to give reading for pleasure a try. Now, ignited with a new passion for reading, Jayden has also become a Literacy Champion for the charity and helps to ensure that books are available – and free – for everyone in his community to access and enjoy.
This saw him run a mobile ‘library’ from his school playground, donated by Harper Collins, where every Friday afternoon he wheeled out a trolley of books stocked by the National Literacy Trust for friends and their families to enjoy; while he currently has a community bookcase set up in his front garden. He also gifts books to families at numerous charity and school events, always promoting the importance of literacy.
At Monday’s event, the mother and son duo spoke about their volunteering and the impact this has had on their lives with the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, and the Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, spreading the message of the charity’s work far and wide whilst giving a voice to families in Stoke-on-Trent. They were also joined by David Williams, MP for Stoke-on-Trent North, who represented his constituency and supported the volunteers from his area.
“I went to No 10 Downing Street to make reading better for everyone, so they have the opportunity to read and own their very own books. It was such a privilege to be invited to the reception and speak to the Prime Minister for everyone in Stoke-on-Trent. When I spoke to the Prime Minister, I told him about my book gifting, my little library on our drive, and that I’m planning on getting a new trolley at my secondary school to make another library there – I love it when people get excited when I give them a book, it’s magic. The Prime Minister asked me why it’s important that I give out books, and I told him that because people can’t afford them, it helps my community, and I love to help people. I believe literacy is important because reading helps you get to places you want to in life.”
Jayden
At the heart of the National Year of Reading campaign is a powerful proposition: to Go All In. Whether it's music, football, fashion, spending time with family or food, reading is positioned as the ultimate tool for diving deeper into the things that matter to you. Designed to spark curiosity and drive behaviour change, the campaign focuses on appeal, not duty, and highlights the immediate rewards of reading, rather than the long-term benefits. If you're into it, read into it.
“Literacy Champions are vital activators of our message in the communities we want to reach. Whether they are sports coaches, religious leaders, or teaching assistants, or someone else entirely, they work hard to ensure literacy is a priority in their workplace or community. This deep partnership with local volunteers, organisations and groups enables us to give more children and families meaningful opportunities to discover what can be a transformative love of reading. Jayden and his mum Caroline embody this style of community activation and commitment to the city of Stoke-on-Trent, so it was a pleasure to see this recognised by the Prime Minister and many others.”
Lois Bateman, Manager for the National Literacy Trust in Stoke-on-Trent
“Jayden is a true community champion and over recent years I've supported him and his family as they’ve shone a spotlight on reading – Jayden always encourages his school friends and families to pick up a book. The Prime Minister, the Education Secretary and the Chancellor were keen to learn of the work that is taking place in our city including the free book giveaways and the annual Tales in the Park events which take place across Stoke-on-Trent. Their enthusiasm shone through and their work in the heart of communities is having a real impact. The National Year of Reading presents an amazing opportunity for Stoke-on-Trent to showcase how reading can transform lives."
David Williams, MP for Stoke-on-Trent North