Figures show that more than one in four children in England leave primary school unable to read to the expected standard. This has a lifelong effect, leading to limited job prospects, poor health and low self-esteem in later life. Consequently, England has one of the lowest literacy rates in the developed world despite being part of the UK – the fifth largest economy in the world.

In their first month of support, the company has already gifted enough money to provide 15 children with dedicated reading support over the course of a full Bookmark reading programme.

Simon La Fosse, Executive Chairman, explains: “The decision to partner with Bookmark was a logical one for us. As a specialist agency operating within the technology sector, we have seen at first hand the rapid advances that are taking place.

But without the right support and guidance at an early age, there will be many young people entering the workforce who won’t be able to benefit from the opportunities that these developments present because of poor literacy skills.

We want to play our part in helping more and more children to have access to the critical support that Bookmark can provide.”

To help tackle the literacy problem in the UK, Bookmark have built an innovative digital platform to match schools with local volunteers who have been safeguarded, vetted and trained by the charity. The charity’s six-week reading programme consists of two, 30-minute sessions each week at a primary school, with a child who needs extra support with their reading.

Kitty Higgins, Chief Executive at Bookmark, says:

“At Bookmark, we are helping children develop the reading skills they need early, so that they have the tools to succeed in school and beyond. Our volunteers support children in primary school to expand their vocabulary, improve their literacy skills and find enjoyment in reading. These skills extend well beyond books in the classroom; they are crucial skills throughout an individual’s life.

Through La Fosse’s support, we are already able to provide reading support to 15 children, which is absolutely fantastic. We are thrilled to have entered into this partnership and look forward to working together more to raise awareness and help tackle child illiteracy. A huge thank you to Simon and the team.”

Simon La Fosse added: “We want to prove that caring isn’t just the right thing to do – it’s also good for business. This doesn’t just apply to how we treat our candidates, clients and each other, it is a central focus in how we want to drive our operational practices.

Not only will the money donated fund crucial reading support for children, but it will also provide valuable publicity for Bookmark’s fantastic work.”

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Last Christmas, each La Fossian had a gift card to allocate to a member on the Beam crowdfunding platform. A few months later, we checked in to see how some of the people they supported are getting on with Beam’s help.

Read what we found below, and if you’d like, donate yourself via the Beam website.

La Fosse’s Chris Chandler gave his gift card to Delroi. Delroi was crowdfunding to become a project manager, with a dream of running projects that have social action at their core and make a real difference for people in the community. He has subsequently achieved his goal, and is currently in Project Management training. Delroi says: Thanks so much – still a bit stunned and digesting how fast you have made my target a reality!

Enya Quinn gave her card to Jamal, who was training to be an electrician. He has since flown through his Level 2 Diploma, with a Distinction in Electrical Installation Technology and is looking forward to completing his Level 3. Jamal posted: I’m so grateful to all of my supporters and the Beam Team for helping me through my Level 2 electrician’s training. Now being able to do my Level 3 as well – it will open up more avenues and better job prospects.

Emile Bevan supported Angel, whose dream has always been to work in fashion, and was seeing to fund a course in fashion merchandising. She started her course two weeks ago, and shared this message on the Beam platform: I’m sending a thank you to you all for helping me to make my dream into a reality!

Tony, another member of Beam, sums up the importance of the platform perfectly: “If you haven’t supported a Beam member, please consider it. There are so many people out there who have been through tough times with homelessness and other problems. They also deserve the chance to make the most of themselves.”

If you’d like to give the gift of a fresh start to someone in 2019, consider donating to Beam – even the smallest donation will make a difference to helping someone get their life back on track. Check-out their live campaigns, read some more success stories, or split your donation between everyone on the platform if you can’t decide who to support.

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