Leading UK children’s literacy charity BookTrust has broken its own fundraising record with its 2019 Christmas appeal, which raised a record £240,000 – an incredible £47,000 over the target amount.
The campaign immediately caught the public’s attention with more people donating directly, which saw BookTrust receiving a record 1,653 donations in just two days.
The festive appeal formed part of the Letterbox project, which sends book parcels out to children who are vulnerable or in care. For many of these children, it’s the first time they have owned a book.
BookTrust called on the public to donate £10 for a special book parcel to brighten up a child’s Christmas. Over 8,000 people made donations to the appeal and 12,480 parcels were delivered to children aged three and up, who had been nominated by local authorities and schools.
“We’re absolutely thrilled by the support from the public and thanks to so many generous donations, we have been able to send a festive gift of a book to each of the 12,250 children in our 2019 Letterbox programme,” said Diana Gerald, BookTrust ceo.
“We would like to thank everyone who donated and helped to light up Christmas for so many children who are vulnerable or in care with the gift of a story.”
BookTrust will be using the additional £120,000 to reach more vulnerable children through programmes such as Bookstart Corner, a free programme aimed at families with very young children who need additional support and help to engage in reading.
