Children’s Book Project gifts a million books in a year

The Children’s Book Project has gifted its one millionth book in a single year to a child at a Fit for Life Youth session in North Kensington, marking a major milestone for the charity and its campaign to tackle book poverty. 

 
The Council has long supported the charity’s journey, providing the project with its first dedicated premises on Kensal Road, before supporting its move into a larger site on Golborne Road as demand for its work grew.

Those premises gave the Children’s Book Project the space it needed to collect, store, sort and redistribute an ever-increasing number of books. The charity has redistributed new and gently used books donated by families and publishers that might otherwise have gone unread, helping children and families build home libraries regardless of their income.

Councillor Catherine Faulks, lead member for family and children’s services, said: “Behind the impressive numbers of today’s milestone is the reality that dozens of families now have an extra few books on their shelves in time for a bedtime story. For some, this might be their first step into discovering the joy of reading together. The impact that has can’t be overstated.

To think of that story playing out over a million times in a year is nothing short of extraordinary. I couldn’t be prouder of the part the Council has played in making it happen.” 

Liberty Venn, founder and CEO of the Children’s Book Project, said: “A child here today is taking home our one-millionth book in a year, a milestone we couldn’t have reached without the ongoing support of Kensington and Chelsea Council. Giving a child a book of their own is about so much more than the book itself, it is about opportunity, confidence and the message that their imagination and future matter.
 
“A million books means a million opportunities to put a book into a child's hands and say this is yours. You deserve it. You can keep it, read it, return to it, share it with your family and build your own library.”

For the children attending the event, the experience was about the excitement of finding a book that they wanted to take home.

Alex, aged 10, said “I liked choosing my own book because I can take it home and read it whenever I want. I took a book for my brother too that I think he will like and we can read together.”

Find out more about the Children’s Book Project and its work, and how you can support it by donating books and setting up book-giving events in your local area.