We care about supporting the communities we serve.
We support both local and national charities and organisations which help us achieve our business purpose.
Making a difference to society is not only a part of our ESG responsibilities, but also part of our culture. We are proud to make a tangible difference in the communities we serve. Supporting others remains a core part of our caring culture—whether through in-person fundraising, using our stores as donation points, or taking part in activities with our charity partners. These collective efforts reflect the passion and commitment of our teams to make a positive impact beyond our stores.
Giving something back
In FY26, we continued our partnerships with Mind, SAMH and Inspire, raising over £400k across the lifetime of our partnerships. We contribute through the sale of our charity ranges, including seasonal products such as Christmas cards, alongside in-store fundraising activity. We also continued to champion our Make May Mindful campaign, highlighting how our products can help customers take time to unwind and support their mental wellbeing through Time Well Spent.
Our partnership with the National Literacy Trust (NLT) has gone from strength to strength, with a shared focus on improving access to books and inspiring a love of reading—particularly during the National Year of Reading. Together, we have delivered fundraising and awareness initiatives, including the “Big Boro Book Bash” in Middlesbrough and other local hub events, while also progressing longer-term plans to inspire reading, creativity and learning in the communities we serve. We were proud to launch our Find Your Story campaign and bring it to life through our Story Bus—demonstrating how our purpose connects to meaningful social impact.
We continue to embed our Barnardo’s ‘Play It Forward’ scheme , supporting children and families while aligning with our wider community and sustainability ambitions.
In FY26 we supported World Book Day by processing over 200,000 vouchers, helping improve access to books and bringing the event to life in stores through colleague engagement activities. We also launched The Works’ READ Pledge to support our purpose of inspiring reading, learning, creativity and play by improving access to books, encouraging reading for pleasure and supporting communities through book donations and literacy partnerships.
About our partnership with National Literacy Trust
In 2026, we strengthened our partnership with the National Literacy Trust. We were proud to launch our ‘Find Your Story’ campaign and bring it to life through our Story Bus – demonstrating how our purpose connects to meaningful social impact.
In 2025, just 1 in 3 children said they enjoy reading in their free time, and fewer than 1 in 5 read every day. Many children don't own a single book. That's why our partnership matters. Thanks to the incredible support of our colleagues and customers, we've raised over £154,000 for the National Literacy Trust since our partnership began in 2023 and donated thousands of books to children who need them most.
These funds play a vital role in supporting the National Literacy Trust to deliver high-impact, flexible support across the UK - reaching children, families, and communities where literacy levels are lowest, and the need is greatest. During 2025, our support has helped make the following difference:
READ Pledge
Launched in Spring 2026 in support of the National Year of Reading and delivered in partnership with the National Literacy Trust, our campaign was designed to inspire children to discover the joy of reading by exploring books that match their individual interests and passions. The initiative was brought to life through a nationwide bus tour, supported by a PR and social media campaign and engaging in-store activity, helping us connect with families and encourage more children to develop a lifelong love of reading.
Looking ahead
We're excited to continue to build on our charity partnership with the National Literacy Trust to increase fundraising impact and deepen engagement with colleagues and customers. In FY27, we will focus on expanding literacy and community initiatives with the National Literacy Trust, by supporting access to books, creativity and learning.
Thank you to everyone who's supported the partnership so far. With your support, we're helping more children and families change their story through the power of literacy.
Learn more about our partnership with the National Literacy Trust on their website:
We care about good ethical business practices and are fully committed to conducting business fairly, ethically and with respect to fundamental human rights. This includes the prevention of all forms of slavery, forced labour or servitude, child labour and human trafficking, both in our business and supply chains.
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