Door Step Library in London brings the joy of books and reading to local children.
On this day each year, that great storyteller Hans Christian Anderson's birthday is celebrated with an . To mark the occasion, we wanted to tell you about just one of the ±«Óătv Children in Need grants that has children's books and reading at the centre of it.
This is a guest post written by mum Angela Campana.
“Every Tuesday afternoon at about five o'clock the doorbell rings and my children rush outside to greet the friendly ladies full of stories. Each has a big rucksack filled with as many books as they can carry and a couple of stools for the children to sit on.
It all started for us one day when a lady knocked on my door and explained that she was from an organisation that read books to children in the neighbourhood. I was pleasantly surprised as I had never heard of a mobile library. Since then my children always welcome them with smiles on their faces as each week they can't wait to swap their books for new ones. She explained that she wanted to reach as many children as possible and that she wanted them to have easy access to a variety of books. That was the beginning of something wonderful for us.
I have three boys; Ethan, seven, Rafael who’s five and Alejandro, two. We are originally from Colombia and Ecuador and we try to speak Spanish to our children at home so they grow up bilingual. Having the volunteers reading to my children in English has really helped them to improve their reading and communication skills at school. Especially Rafael because thanks to the volunteers' support and attention, his speech has improved significantly.
The stories and picture books have encouraged my children's imagination immensely. This is particularly true for Ethan who has produced some amazing art work since he was three and gets inspired by every book he reads. Â
Ethan's picture of Pudsey Bear
Books open the door to new worlds which children can only reach by reading and this project makes all this possible.
The volunteers give their time and effort, come rain or shine, even in freezing weather conditions. The work that they do is just amazing. I am so grateful for their enthusiasm, their encouragement, their support and especially for their time. I really admire what they do. The Door Step Library has had a very positive impact on my family.
It is truly a remarkable project that could potentially change children's lives and help them achieve a better, brighter future.”
How does ±«Óătv Children in Need help?
±«Óătv Children in Need’s grant of ÂŁ44,400 helped set up the Doorstep Library Network in Fulham in 2011 and contributes towards the salary of Project Manager Katie Bareham until 2014. There are now four networks operating in Hammersmith and Fulham with each volunteer working one afternoon a week after school, usually in pairs. You can find out more information about volunteering at the project.