As Chief Executive of Booktrust it goes without saying that I am passionate about reading. As a child, I was the sort of person who always had her nose in a book, imagining myself as Jo from Little Women (and I love apples). I rediscovered libraries when my children were born, and the delights of picture books read ‘again and again’.

My experiences as an adult literacy tutor highlighted the level of challenge in helping adults with lower level skills and little confidence to benefit from the reading and writing experience, and the personal pride and sense of accomplishment when they succeeded.

At Booktrust, through the range of our activities, we recognise that strong partnerships are needed to deliver long-term gains in literacy and learning. Creative agencies like Booktrust, with the support of inspirational writers, play an important motivating role for individual learners and educators alike.

Booktrust’s unique public private partnerships work with central and local government and the publishing industry through the ‘free books’ reading programmes. This includes Bookstart which benefits every child in the country under the age of three, creating significant social value for parents, children and the state. For every £1 the state invests in the programme, Bookstart returns a total £25 of value to society.

Thank you to all our partners and funders. There are huge, but exciting challenges in taking people to literacy and beyond, but together, I know we can make a difference