Amazon in Doncaster supports young readers as part of literacy campaign

A children’s charity has received a £1,000 donation from the Amazon fulfilment centre in Doncaster iPort as part of Amazon’s global campaign to address growing education inequalities as a result of COVID-19.
Early literacyEarly literacy
Early literacy

Starlight received the donation as part of Amazon Reads, Amazon’s global effort to support primary school children aged five-11 with better access to basic education, specially focused on literacy.

By April 2020, school closures due to lockdowns during the pandemic had affected almost 1.6 billion children and young people across the world, highlighting the ever-growing education gap facing children in poverty. The Amazon Reads programme aims to raise greater awareness of these issues, while also raising funds to support literacy charities in the UK and beyond.

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David Benfell, Site Leader of Amazon in Doncaster iPort said: “At Amazon, we are committed to supporting the educational needs of children and hope that Amazon Reads will provide a helpful resource to young readers. We are delighted to support Starlight and we hope this donation gives the young readers in our community a boost.”

Cathy Gilman, CEO of Starlight, added: “It’s fantastic to receive this donation from Amazon in Doncaster iPort as part of Amazon Reads. Starlight provides play and distraction to seriously ill children in hospitals, and having books helps children have a sense of escape when they are undergoing treatment. Literacy support for children has never been more important and we are grateful to Amazon for partnering with us to tackle this great need.”

In addition to the donation to Starlight, Amazon has also made a £50,000 donation to National Literacy Trust, an independent UK charity working with schools and communities to give disadvantaged children the literacy skills to succeed in life.

The Amazon Reads campaign also invited employees from Amazon in Doncaster iPort to take part in a national competition to design a bookmark.

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Amazon Reads is one of a number of ways in which Amazon is supporting communities across the UK during COVID-19.

Amazon is providing students from under-represented communities with online STEM courses as well as teaming up with charity partner Magic Breakfast and delivering more than four million healthy breakfasts to families around the UK.