Flex office operator, Cubo, is looking for volunteers to support its campaign with national literacy charity, Bookmark, and help ignite the joy of reading in children.
Cubo, which was founded in Derby and now has 11 sites across the UK, adopted Bookmark Reading Charity as its annual charity for 2024 following a successful Christmas campaign, which raised £750.
Now, as part of its ongoing commitment to supporting literacy and community engagement, Cubo is expanding its efforts and looking for volunteers to join Bookmark’s Online Volunteer Reading Programme and help make a positive impact in children’s lives.
Volunteers will be required to take part in 30-minute sessions either once or twice a week reading stories and playing games with a child between the ages of 5 and 10 on the charity’s secure online platform. The programme involves 30-minute sessions with the same child, for six or twelve weeks.
Volunteers just need to commit to completing at least three programmes a year, although it is hoped they will do more. The volunteering programme is flexible and there’s no need to travel, although in-person literacy volunteer opportunities also exist.
Commenting on their support for Bookmark, Rebecca Brough, CMO at Cubo, said: “We are thrilled to be supporting the Bookmark campaign and have recruited our own team of Cubo volunteers who will be taking part in the online reading programme.
“We hope businesses and individuals will join us as volunteer to help develop vital literacy skills that will make a lasting impact on children’s lives.”
Bookmark was founded by Sharon Pindar in 2018 and aims to change children’s life stories through the joy of reading.
The charity works with children who face barriers to becoming readers by providing one-to-one reading programmes, both online and in person.
The charity also equips schools with dedicated resources to offer wraparound support, providing diverse, high-quality books, materials for extracurricular reading, and on-going support for teacher training and development.
As part of its mission, Bookmark aims to deliver 50,741 one-to-one reading sessions to children during 2024. This time, when scheduled back-to-back, equates to three years of non-stop reading.
The charity also aims to send out thousands of books and reading resources to children across the country, putting them directly into the hands of children who need them most.
Sharon Pindar, Founder & Chair of Trustees at Bookmark, added: “Our thanks go out to Rebecca and her team at Cubo for supporting this vital charity, which does such important work to improve literacy skills amongst young children.
“Helping a child learn to read will help them succeed, in school and beyond. By volunteering, you’ll get to see your young reader progress, knowing you are opening a world of opportunity for their future.”
