Out of present ideas for family and friends this Christmas? Why not tell them that their gift has helped to give a local child the gift of reading and donate the present money to the Christmas Book Gifting Appeal 2023.
Manchester Central Library Development Trust has just launched its Christmas Book Gifting Appeal and this year, the campaign hopes to raise funds to support Read Manchester and Manchester Libraries get brand new books to Manchester children and families and to help children and young people discover the joy of reading.
Improving literacy and enabling children to fall in love with reading is central to Read Manchester and Manchester Libraries’ work. Through partnerships with hundreds of local organisations including schools, foodbanks, community groups, refuges and youth groups, the initiative gets new books to children that need them most – more than 102,000 books have been gifted to children in Manchester in the last twelve months.
And during last year’s festive period alone the book gifting campaign distributed more than 10,000 books to 89 of the city’s community organisations. They, in turn, distributed the books to children and families at one of the many events and parties, including Santa visits, that were put on for families.
Feedback from organisations that helped distribute last year’s gifted books show how important the book gifting campaign is:
“One of my customers cried – she was so grateful as things are so difficult at the moment.” Sammy from Anson Community Grocers, Rusholme.
”We feel the project is educational, entertaining, and ultimately a ‘small’ gesture with a huge positive impact on our service users” the majority of whom are single parent families. Work For Smile Charity
