The initiative, delivered in partnership with Business in the Community (BITC), aims to foster a lifelong love of reading in Hounslow.
Year 2 pupils at Oriel Primary School received a special visit from the Mayor of Hounslow Councillor Amy Croft and the Leader of Hounslow Council Councillor Shantanu Rajawat this week to celebrate a major new donation of books.
BITC has donated books to support six primary schools across the borough, reaching hundreds of pupils and reinforcing its commitment to improving literacy and supporting vulnerable young people.
As part of the initiative, BITC representatives, Mayor of Hounslow Councillor Amy Croft and the Leader of the Council Councillor Shantanu Rajawat joined visits at three of the participating schools to engage directly with pupils and staff: Marjory Kinnon School, Fairholme Primary School and Oriel Academy West London. During these visits, they met pupils and spoke about the importance of reading and aspiration.
The donation comes as part of BITC’s Place Programme, which involves supporting communities in need across the UK. BITC leads a number of school partnerships to help school-age children improve their literacy skills and to increase business engagement.
A fourth visit was undertaken by BITC to The Cedars Primary School, where a collection of books was provided to each classroom for use as literacy resources during an assembly session.
Councillor Shantanu Rajawat, Leader of Hounslow Council said: “It was wonderful to have the chance to meet the children and tell them about our favourite books. The donation of these books is the first step in a wider programme aimed at developing aspirations and skills through literacy and connections with business.”
Councillor Amy Croft, Mayor of Hounslow added: “Literacy has a direct impact on a child’s future prospects. It can be an indicator of what you will do and where you will go in life, so it is incredibly important. Developing links between local businesses and schools is a great way to raise aspirations and give young people the best possible chance in life.”
John Bason, Chair of Pride of Place at Business in the Community in Hounslow, commented: “It is great to see the work we are doing brought to life in such a wonderful way. Seeing the children’s faces when they received the books really put a smile on our faces. This is just one of the projects we will be leading on with Hounslow Council.”
Oriel Principal Debbie Carter said: “It was a pleasure to host the mayor of Hounslow, the leader of the council, and the team from Business in the Community. We place a strong emphasis on reading, and these wonderful new books are very gratefully received, particularly as this is the Year of Reading.”
