Asda, one of the UK’s leading supermarket chains, has announced a groundbreaking partnership with the Children’s Book Project, a literacy charity focused on addressing book poverty among children. The initiative, launched nationwide, aims to make books more accessible to children from low-income families by encouraging the donation of pre-loved books across Asda stores.
The campaign follows successful pilot programs earlier this year in stores across Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, and London, which saw over 6,000 books donated and redistributed to local communities. This expansion comes as a response to the growing concern over book poverty, which research has shown negatively impacts children’s social, emotional, academic, and developmental growth.
Asda customers are encouraged to donate books their children have outgrown by dropping them off at designated trolleys located in participating stores. These book donation points will be managed by each store’s Customer and Community Champion, ensuring the books are redistributed to children and schools that need them most.
Carolyn Francis, from Asda’s Community Team, expressed enthusiasm for the initiative, stating, “It’s great to have an accessible book donation point in our store where we can then redistribute them back into our local community. All children should be able to access a book without cost being a barrier.”
The partnership between Asda and the Children’s Book Project is expected to benefit over 20,000 children, with the opportunity to participate in book gifting festivals hosted by their schools or community groups. At these events, children will be able to select and take home books of their own, helping to foster a love of reading.
Liberty Venn, Founder and CEO of the Children’s Book Project, emphasized the importance of this initiative, saying, “We are incredibly excited about the opportunity that Asda is giving to their customers nationwide to set their children’s pre-loved books on new adventures. Like us, Asda want to help tackle book poverty in childhood.”
This book donation campaign aligns with Asda’s broader efforts to support low-income families. The supermarket has also recently launched its Cashpot for Schools campaign, which allocates funds to primary schools through the Asda Rewards loyalty program. This follows research that revealed a third of primary schools still rely on parents and Parent Teacher Associations for funding.
The collaboration between Asda and the Children’s Book Project aims to improve literacy access and outcomes for children across the UK. By combining the reach of Asda’s supermarkets with the charity’s focus on promoting childhood literacy, the initiative holds the potential to create a lasting impact on thousands of children.
For more information on participating stores and how to get involved, interested individuals can visit www.childrensbookproject.co.uk/ASDA.
