Oxford Campaign Collects 1,000 Books for Young Readers

When an Oxford PR agency learned that many teachers believe students can no longer read full novels, they decided to do something about it.

Fortitude Communications launched a book donation drive during National Storytelling Week to support Assisted Reading for Children (ARCh), a literacy charity based in Bicester. The response exceeded all expectations.

Local authors, business owners, and schools donated more than 1,000 softback books. The generosity came from people across the community who share a passion for helping children discover reading.

ARCh sends trained volunteers into over 100 primary schools across Oxfordshire for one-to-one reading sessions. These sessions help children who struggle with literacy build confidence and develop a genuine love of books.

The charity's 300+ volunteers have positively impacted nearly 1,000 children since ARCh became independent. But they needed more quality books to continue their mission.

Emma Orton, ARCh's Recruitment Manager, called the donation "incredible." She says the books will make a huge difference to the children they work with.

The campaign gained support from local authors Adrian Townsend and Sandra Plumb, who donated their own books to the cause. Even the transportation became a community effort when Smiths of Bletchington provided a driver and van to deliver the haul.

Fortitude director Greig Box Turnbull says the team was overwhelmed by people's enthusiasm. The agency was motivated by National Literacy Trust figures showing sharp declines in reading among primary-aged children.

The Ripple Effect

Beyond collecting books, Fortitude is producing a professional video for ARCh to help raise the charity's profile across the county. This free service will help ARCh reach more schools and recruit more volunteers.

Each donated book represents another opportunity for a child to find confidence through reading. When volunteers sit down with struggling readers, those books become tools for transformation.

The campaign shows how businesses can use their skills for community good while inspiring others to join worthy causes.

One community's love of reading is now helping hundreds of children write their own success stories.

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