LTR Supports "Community Shelf" Project

Wednesday 10th June 2020

An initiative set up to support disadvantaged families during the Covid-19 pandemic is gearing up to deliver hundreds of books to children across Ipswich this month, thanks to the generosity of a local reading charity and an education consultancy.
The Community Shelf project will deliver more than 400 books donated by Let's Talk Reading and Greenfields Education, an education consultancy based in Manningtree.
The Community Shelf was created at the start of the crisis by the Raedwald Multi Academy Trust and Copleston High School to deliver essential products including food, toiletries, clothing and home supplies, alongside face-to-face support for local families facing hardship.
"We immediately realised how teaming up with The Community Shelf would enable us to continue our work and get books out to children and young people who need them the most at this time," said Clair Pyper, lead volunteer at Let's Talk Reading, which works with local playgroups, nurseries and schools to deliver free storytelling sessions and workshops as well as distributing books to encourage reading and boost literacy levels across Ipswich.
"Books bring escape, boost wellbeing, and improve concentration and focus. We know that attainment levels are higher among children who have books to read at home, and we want to give every child the opportunity to grow and succeed through a love of reading."
Hannah Brunning from the Raedwald Trust said: "We know the transformative impact of being lost in reading, and together we want to give as many children as possible the chance to experience that, especially at a time when many are feeling isolated and are missing friends and normal routines.
"We created The Community Shelf as a vehicle for our community to share the resources it has in support of young people and their families who are at a disadvantage, socially and economically, not just during this crisis but in the future too. This includes sharing resources such as books, writing and art materials, culture and experiences as well as essential food and toiletries.
"We'd like to say a huge thanks to Let's Talk Reading and Greenfields Education for helping us to realise this ambition and making a really positive difference to the experiences of our children and their families."
For more information on how to support the initiative, individuals and organisations can email
communityshelf@raedwaldtrust.org or mail@copleston.suffolk.sch.uk