Access to books should be a right, not a privilege: Aldi is donating over 100,000 books to children who need them this summer

With your support, we can donate more books and reach more children

Over 410,00 children in the UK don’t own a single book, that’s one child in every 17* - or if you think about the average classroom setting, that equates to approximately two children in every class.

My Reading Journey

The joy that reading can bring to a child is emotively imagined in an animation narrated by England footballer Marcus Rashford MBE.

Marcus Rashford MBE commented: “I’ve experienced first-hand the sacrifices that so many families have to make to put food on the table and pay the bills. I didn’t have access to a lot of books growing up because Mum had to make tough decisions, meaning I wasn’t able to read until I was 17. The impact this is having on children is devastating – reading is not only an essential life skill, but also a form of escapism that every child deserves to enjoy. I’m pleased to lend my voice to this campaign from Aldi to donate 100,000 books to children across the country that need them most, and I encourage you to join in and donate further.”

Every child should own a book of their own

Aldi believes all children should experience the magic of reading; however, the sad reality is that hundreds of thousands of children in the UK do not because they’ve never owned a book. With this only likely to worsen over the coming year, Aldi is working with Magic Breakfast, Neighbourly and Macmillan to give over 100,000 books to children that need them across the UK this summer.

You can do your bit to help, just £5 will cover the cost of printing and distributing approximately 2 extra books

* Research by the National Literacy Trust, 2021