Story Seeds turned two in January. We thought we'd mark it by writing down where we are.
We've donated 2,109 children's books to Somerset primary schools since we incorporated. We've supported 20 schools. We've given £2,000 worth of board games and card games to schools that asked for them. We've put £480 in prizes into the hands of children who won our creative writing competitions.
Those are small numbers next to what the need looks like. One in five children in KS1 do not own a book. Somerset has about 250 primary schools. We've reached 8% of them.
But the 20 schools we have worked with are schools we know. We hear from them. Heads write to say that a reception class took the books home and shared them with their families at an afternoon tea. A Year 2 child knew one of the authors from a YouTube channel and couldn't believe she was holding her own copy. A library had our books on the shelves the same afternoon the box arrived.
The plan for year three is the plan we had in year one. Find good books. Get them to the children who'd otherwise not have them. Don't overreach.
If you run a Somerset primary and this is the first time you've heard of us, register your school. If you run a business and you'd like to help, email us at [email protected]. We never say no to schools. We just prioritise the ones who need it most.