We care about giving something back.
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 work with national charity partners, and local causes, to give back in the communities which we serve. Whether it’s through fancy-dress fundraising, our Where’s Wally? Fun Run or an in-store fundraising activity, giving something back is part of our everyday life.
Giving something back
We’re proud to make a difference by giving something back to the communities we serve. It is a key part of our business culture – whether it’s through in-person fundraising, using our stores as donation points, or taking on huge challenges for our charity partners, giving something back is second nature to us.
We continue partnering with Mind, SAMH and Inspire, bringing commercial charity ranges including Christmas cards to stores to raise awareness and funds for our national partners. Since the period end, we have launched our Make May Mindful campaign in association with Mind, highlighting how our products can give people the chance to unwind with some Time Well Spent to support their mental wellbeing.
Towards the end of FY25 we also launched our Barnardo’s ‘Play It Forward’ scheme, which you can read about in our environment update.
FY25 impact
National partnerships
£123k
raised for Mind, SAMH, Inspire and the National Literacy Trust
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.
About our partnership with National Literacy Trust
At The Works, we believe in the power of reading, learning, creativity and play and the difference they can make to people's lives. That's why we're proud to partner with the National Literacy Trust, a charity dedicated to empowering children, young people and families with the literacy skills they need to succeed. When children enjoy reading, it boosts their confidence, wellbeing and success at school and opens the door to a brighter future. But sadly, reading for pleasure is in decline.
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:
Our partnership with the National Literacy Trust makes a huge impact for adults and children like Habiba, who arrived in Bradford in 2018 with her family when she was just 10 years old. Habiba struggled to communicate with others at first, but thanks to the National Literacy Trust's events, like the Young Bradford Poets programme and the Bradford Stories Bus, Habiba was able to find her voice and connect with her cultural identity through poetry.
HABIBA'S STORY
How our colleagues are getting involved
Looking ahead
We're excited to continue our journey with the National Literacy Trust, especially as 2026 marks the National Year of Reading. Together, we'll keep raising funds, gifting books and inspiring readers across the UK.
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 charity partners on their website:
Related pages
