Communities

We launched our new corporate and charity fundraising partnership with the National Literacy Trust (NLT), an independent charity working with schools and communities to give disadvantaged children the literacy skills to succeed in life.

We have worked, and will continue to work, closely with the NLT to improve access to, and awareness of the importance of, literacy for all, helping us fulfil our purpose of inspiring reading, learning, creativity and play.

We continue to partner with Mind, SAMH and Inspire. This year we launched our first commercial charity range that supported all our national partners.

Our partnership with World Book Day is a great example of our purpose coming to life by inspiring reading, learning, creativity and play. As well as selling World Book Day books and redeeming vouchers, our colleagues encouraged our customers to develop a love for reading through fancy-dress initiatives, story sessions and book recommendations, supporting its mission to ‘Read Your Way’. We sold more than 205k books supporting children to develop their
love of reading.

October saw the launch of our trial ‘Play It Forward’ product take-back scheme in partnership with Barnardo’s. The successful trial provided collection bins for customers and colleagues to donate their good quality new and pre-loved books, games, toys and
stationery in our stores. As part of the partnership Barnardo’s then collected these donations to resell in its charity stores to help raise vital funds for its work, or recycle items which are not in a resalable condition.