I'm so pleased to be an Author Ambassador for @go_all_in_2026 delivery partner Chapter One! Too many children don't get joy from reading - especially if they're facing disadvantage. If you could be a reading volunteer, check out the link in my bio! #GoAllIn2026
ONE MILLION STORIES BY 2030! 📚
Our mission is to help all children build the literacy skills they need to thrive by giving them one-to-one support at the time they need it the most. Since launching in 2018, Chapter One's online reading volunteers have shared 433,500 stories with children who need extra reading support. Thank you!
In 2026, the National Year of Reading, we’re ‘going all in’ and taking that mission further. We’re launching our most ambitious target yet.
One Million Stories is our commitment to reach one million stories shared between our volunteers and children by 2030 - a cumulative count that tracks the collective impact of every session delivered since we began. Every 30-minute online reading session generates around two stories. Add that up across every volunteer, every corporate partner, and every child, and the numbers begin to tell their own story. 💜✨
#OneMillionStories2030 @go_all_in_2026
We're hiring two Programme Managers - one based in North London, one in West Yorkshire. ✨
Working closely with schools and teachers, our Programme Managers ensure our Online Reading Volunteers Programme runs smoothly and delivers real impact for the children we support. Both roles are part-time, term-time only, and home-based with frequent travel to schools in their region.
📍North London
- 15 hours per week, Monday to Friday
- £13,066 per year pro-rata (FTE £38,025 per annum, includes London weighting)
- Closing date: 31 May
📍West Yorkshire
- 15 hrs per week, Monday to Friday
- £12,061 per year pro-rata (FTE £35,100 per annum)
- Closing date: 7 June
For more information and apply, head to the link in our bio! ☺
We’re very excited to be a charity partner for the @fleetstquarter Festival of Words this week! Come and see us at @stationershall on Thursday (14 May) and Friday (15 May)! 📚✨
We’re hiring! Want to work for a dynamic, growing charity with a vision of a world in which all children have the literacy skills needed to thrive? 🚀
We’re looking for two new Programme Managers - one in Bristol and one in Scotland - to both motivate and support schools and teachers to implement our Online Reading Volunteers Programme, and also to ensure that the programme’s impact and benefit is maximised throughout the academic year.
The posts are ideal for someone looking for part-time, flexible, term-time only work from a home base and who is able to travel frequently in and around their region. The postholders will be joining a team of established Programme Managers who work in different parts of the UK and will need to have some flexibility to work some additional hours during busy autumn weeks, and conversely to work fewer hours during quieter periods of the year.
📍Bristol
- Permanent, remote position - with frequent travel to support schools in and around Bristol
- Part-time (11 hours per week, Monday to Friday)
- £8,845 per year pro-rata (£35,100 FTE)
📍Scotland
- Permanent, remote position - with frequent travel to support schools in and around Edinburgh and Glasgow
- Part-time (11 hours per week, Monday to Friday)
- 8,845 per year pro-rata (£35,100 FTE)
More information and apply - head to the link in our bio 😊
📅 Closing date for both positions: 17 May
How do you give 3,500 children the gift of reading? 📚✨
For our latest conversation in the National Year of Reading series, we are sitting down with Emma Bell, CEO of Chapter One.
Chapter One is transforming children's literacy across the UK. Through their incredible network of volunteer reading partners, they provide dedicated one-to-one reading support to nearly 3,500 children in communities stretching from Edinburgh to London, Manchester to East Sussex, and beyond!
In this episode, we discuss:
🌟 The life-changing impact of one-to-one reading time.
🌟 How their volunteer reading partner programme actually works.
🌟 The massive difference a little bit of dedicated time can make for a child's confidence.
🌟 How YOU can get involved and help support young readers in your area.
Whether you are looking for an inspiring literacy programme or searching for a way to give back to your community, this episode is full of heart.
🔗 Link in Bio: Listen to the full conversation with Emma Bell now!
👇 Have you ever volunteered in your community? We’d love to hear about your experiences in the comments!
📖 Follow @MostlyBookTalk for more...
@joshmacalistermp for Whitehaven and Workington and Minister for Children, Families and Wellbeing, visited Distington Community School last week to see first-hand how we’re using our award-winning online platform to boost young children’s reading skills in West Cumbria.
During the visit, Josh saw pupils taking part in our Online Reading Volunteers Programme, which connects corporate employees with children aged 5 to 8 for weekly one-to-one reading sessions via a secure virtual platform. Volunteers from Sellafield Ltd and Amentum, who support children at Distington, joined the visit.
The programme addresses a growing national challenge. Across the UK, only around 1 in 3 children say they enjoy reading - the lowest level since 2005 - and 37% of disadvantaged children leave primary school unable to read to the expected standard (42% in the Whitehaven and Workington constituency). Research consistently shows that reading for pleasure has more impact on a child’s progress than parental income or level of education.
Across West Cumbria, since 2023, 834 Chapter One volunteers from almost 40 companies have supported 900 children in local primary schools, with 13 of the schools located in the Whitehaven and Workington constituency alone.
Josh MacAlister said: “What I saw at Distington Community School shows exactly what’s possible when businesses, schools and charities work together. Children in this constituency are getting the one-to-one reading support they need, and the flexible, remote model means companies from across both the region and beyond can play a part.”
Leanne Savage, Head of School, Distington Community School, said: “Chapter One runs as a hugely successful, seamless intervention across our school. The one-to-one reading support that volunteers provide to our children is like gold dust!”
Thank you to our corporate partners and volunteers supporting children with their reading in West Cumbria! 📚
Chapter One is delighted to welcome @janeenhayat and @jonesgarethp as our first author ambassadors, marking the launch of our One Million Stories by 2030 campaign as part of the National Year of Reading 2026! 📖🌟
Both ambassadors will support Chapter One's mission to close the reading gap by encouraging more workplaces to get involved in our Online Reading Volunteers Programme, which connects corporate employees with children aged 5 to 8 for weekly 30-minute online reading sessions during the school day.
Emma Bell, CEO of Chapter One said: “Only one in three children in this country enjoy reading. Closing that gap takes more than schools can manage alone - it takes workplaces, communities and voices that children and adults alike trust. Gareth and Janeen are two of those voices. Their support for Chapter One and One Million Stories by 2030 sends a clear signal: this campaign belongs to everyone who believes that reading can change a child's life. We couldn't be more pleased to have them on board."
We're growing our Corporate Partnerships Team! 🚀
Chapter One is looking for a proactive, energetic and enthusiastic Corporate Partnerships Officer to be an integral part of a team which aims to both maximise corporate income and deliver an excellent partner experience.
If you're interested in how businesses and charities work together and looking for a varied early-career role with real scope to learn and develop, we'd love to hear from you!
Closing date: 6 April 📆
Head to the link in our bio, then 'Join our team' for more info!
Chapter One is seeking an experienced education professional with a strong safeguarding background to join our Board of Trustees. 📚
The ideal candidate will provide confident strategic oversight for Safeguarding, champion best practice at board level, help upskill fellow trustees and help ensure Chapter One continues to deliver its literacy work to the highest standards of safety and care.
Applications are welcomed from individuals anywhere in the UK with a well-established background in education. We are particularly interested in those who have operated at a senior or strategic level across multiple educational settings, as this role requires a broad understanding of the education sector across the UK.
The board meets online three times a year, with one in-person meeting in London each January or February. The successful candidate will also be expected to meet quarterly with the safeguarding team online. 🤝
Head to the link in our bio, then 'Join our team' for more info!
Closing date: 1 May 🗓️
The entire Chapter One team enjoyed a fabulous in-person meet-up in London this week, kindly hosted by our Silver Partner T.Rowe Price at their St. Paul’s offices. As a completely remote-working team based in different parts of the UK, it's always a treat to get together in real life.
We shared reflections on 2025-26 so far and future plans, explored ways we can use AI responsibly to help us in our work and had a session on how to look after our physical wellbeing. We also discussed what the Chapter One values really look like in action, held a book swap and chatted about our personal reading journeys!
These days leave us feeling genuinely energised and connected as a team, and remind us why we're so committed to our mission - to close the reading gap by providing children with one-to-one support at the time they need it the most. 📚🚀
