We are delighted to have donated £1,000 through our Community Impact Fund to Assisted Reading for Children (ARCh), a charity supporting primary school children in Oxfordshire.
ARCh trains volunteers to provide 1:1 sessions with approximately 1000 disadvantaged children each year. The charity’s 300 volunteers each work with a small number of children throughout the year, meeting twice a week to share conversations, build relationships and help the children gain confidence.
Our £1,000 grant will go towards new resources including books and games, which the volunteers use to meet each child’s specific needs.
Around 100 primary schools across Oxfordshire select children who are either underachieving, low in confidence or lacking home support, to take part in the scheme. The children build strong bonds with their ARCh volunteer and feel valued and listened to.
The project has been a huge success, with schools reporting an increase in confidence and self-esteem among 97% of children who have taken part.
Jane Rendle, Joint CEO at Assisted Reading for Children, said:
“We were delighted to receive funding which has enabled us to buy lots of games for our volunteers to use with the children they support. We shared some of the new games with volunteers this week and they all enjoyed trying them out! Fun is an essential element of an ARCh session. The scheme not only benefits the children, but our volunteers have built a sense of purpose and community with each other.
“We urgently need more volunteers across Oxfordshire so encourage anyone who has time to spare to join us – sharing books, games and conversation with primary age children is life-enhancing! We also have an employer supported volunteer scheme and welcome more organisations to sign up. All it takes is one hour a week to change a child’s life via reading.”
The donation was made through our Community Impact Fund, an initiative created to support voluntary and community groups across the areas we work in. The fund has recently been increased, now offering grants of up to £2,000.
Sian Every, our Community Investment and Social Lead, said:
“Assisted Reading for Children provides a valuable service to young people across Oxfordshire and the project’s impact is fantastic. I’m delighted we could support this charity and help their work to boost the confidence of disadvantaged children.”
Find out more about our Community Impact Fund here.
