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# Call for volunteers to help children learn to read and write
- URL: https://lichfieldlive.co.uk/call-for-volunteers-to-help-children-learn-to-read-and-write/
- Published: 2022-11-17T08:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2022-11-16T12:26:11.000Z
- Description: People in Lichfield and Burntwood are being asked to volunteer to help children learn to read and write.
- Author: Lichfield Live
- Tags: Charity, Education, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-07-22 19:07, News

People in Lichfield and Burntwood are being asked to volunteer to help children learn to read and write.

Children’s literacy charity Bookmark is seeking people to support local schools.

The appeal comes after national figures revealed that one in four children leave primary school unable to read well.

More than 400 children aged between five and nine are on the waiting list for a reading volunteer. The role sees volunteers help them with their literacy and reading skills twice a week for 30 minutes each time.

Graihagh Crawshaw-Sadler, CEO of Bookmark, said: 

> “We know that poor literacy is devastating for children and can affect their mental wellbeing which can extend into adulthood – reading is such a vital life skill.  
>  
> “Enjoyment of reading is one of the biggest indicators of future success. Being able to read well helps someone to manage everyday life. Being able to navigate words is vital, and it starts in childhood.  
>  
> “We’re seeing unprecedented demand for our service, and we really need more volunteers to read with a child for 30 minutes just twice a week.  
>  
> “We know that our volunteers get a lot of satisfaction helping a child develop their literacy skills and the feedback is always so positive.   
>  
> “We’ve designed our programme to be as accessible as possible, so volunteers can book 30-minute sessions to fit around other commitments and volunteering online means they easily can take part from home or the office.”  
>  
> Graihagh Crawshaw-Sadler, Bookmark

Bookmark targets support at children who are at risk of falling behind, with many of the pupils it supports speaking English as a second language and almost half recognised as disadvantaged.

People can find out more about volunteering [online](http://bookmarkreading.org/volunteer?ref=lichfieldlive.co.uk).