By Holly Lindsay and Amelie Falconer
Featured image: Jamie Taylor

Remember nestling into your parents as they read you the worlds of Harry Potter, The Faraway Tree and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? Unfortunately, not all children get the opportunity to create a lifelong love of reading, as 1 in 8 children in the UK currently don’t have access to a single book.

Manchester Metropolitan University students are looking to change that with a fundraiser on behalf of the charity Bookbanks. The nationwide group promotes universal access to books, helping foodbanks provide reading materials and break the poverty cycle.

Bookbanks was founded by Emily Rhodes in 2022. The charity works to set up weekly pop-up stalls of free books in foodbanks, and since its launch the organisation has distributed over 16,000 books to people experiencing poverty. On its website the charity says it currently operates in nine foodbanks and hopes to expand to 30 locations within the next three to five years.

Louis Glazzard, the north-west regional lead for Bookbanks, spoke of the importance of providing books to disadvantaged communities, particularly in light of the “lowest levels of reading enjoyment and daily reading in a generation.” It’s thought that this national reading crisis, worsened by the cost-of-living crisis, could cost the economy £830m per year.

“Books are getting more expensive,” Louis explains. “Literacy rates are dropping. In a time when access is decreasing, Bookbanks is reversing that by saying: ‘Let’s take books where they are needed the most’. It’s come at a time when it’s needed now more than anything!” 

Government reports cite research that places pleasure in reading as “more important for children’s educational success than their family’s socio-economic status.” Further, 74% of people say reading has a positive impact on their wellbeing.

The opening of the new Bookbanks location in Salford is supported by a fundraiser organised by Manchester Met students. In regards to setting up more Bookbanks locations across the UK, Louis says: “It really is about building a community around books.”

He emphasised the pressure surrounding the first day at a new foodbank and how “it can be the most impactful [day] for conversations with foodbank guests… once guests know that we’re there, they start to come back.”

And although it’s early days, Louis explains there have already been “some wonderful discussions” at the new location.

Bookbanks also run “Matthew’s Talks”, quarterly events at each foodbank that range from interactive workshops to talks with authors. The first event took place in Manchester and was a smash hit, according to Louis, who says there are plans for more across the north west: “They are wonderful, and we find guests love them.”

“I recently chatted with a guest who took some poetry [books] because he wants to write his own poetry,” Louis remarks. “Providing people with books is so powerful that it can completely change your perspective and entire reality.”

Louis credits reading with having a profound impact on his own life, and he hopes his work may help more people pursue higher education, become writers, and even get their work published.

The Manchester Met student fundraiser is on March 25, with guest speakers, live music and a raffle – with all proceeds going to Bookbanks. It will take place at SEESAW on Princess Street at 6.30pm. Tickets are £7.50 for standard entry, £8 for entry with a raffle ticket and £5 for students or unwaged tickets.