Thousands of free books are being given to Salford children for Christmas.
The National Literacy Trust, which is running a campaign to get children reading, will deliver 3,000 books to children over the festive period.
Across the UK, 1 in 10 children aged 5–18 did not own a book at home. The Trust aims to tackle this issue by focusing on areas across the country, such as Salford, where literacy levels are particularly low.
All of the presents are brand new and recent releases, having been donated by publishers and supermarkets.
The project is operating across Salford to help deliver books to families in Little Hulton, Winton, Pendleton, Ordsall and Broughton. The Trust focuses their work on children aged 4–12 in these areas and reaches them through local schools, community events and through their network of volunteer literacy champions.
Salford Hub manager, Martha O’Brien, said: “A lot of our work is about empowering Salford families, as we want them to have the tools and the knowledge they need to help their children develop their literacy skills. So it’s not just gifting a book, it’s about how we can use literacy to learn, grow and thrive.
“Rather than being somebody that goes in and tells people what to do, we want to use people that are already embedded in their local communities, so we’re going to the places where people already are.
“So then we can use those local community voices to provide more opportunities, access to books, advice and support, but it’s a really nice way to do it.”
The National Literacy Trust particularly focuses on the positive impact literacy can have on mental health, academic achievement and lifetime earnings. They have also noticed the direct correlation between book ownership and children’s enjoyment and therefore strive to ensure every child in the area have access to books.
Salford Hub Manager, Martha O’Brien, continued: “We know that book ownership is linked to children’s enjoyment, but it helps build a capability for learning, which helps them then succeed in life.
“Book ownership also supports building confidence and empathy. So, we want to make sure that they have access to it, and having access is that first step in building that.
So a lot of what we want to do is working with the families, to make sure we build confidence within families for sharing books together.”
The National Literacy Trust charity carries out extensive research to help tailor its work effectively. The charity surveys up to 10,000 schools across the UK to acquire information from young people directly, to see what their interests are around reading. The Trust also asks about how they like to read.
Salford’s section of the charity has around 60 community volunteers who have been working for the past few weeks and will be working into December to get books wrapped. Salford has an outstanding network of support with dozens of people quietly working in the community to support others.
Lead Literacy Champion, Lyz Aguiar, said: “For me, one of the biggest benefits is to see the kids’ excitement when we do the events. When they get really close with a book and really connect with the story.
So, when they approach us and they really grab the book and they start looking through the pages and everything. You can see in their eyes, the connection, this is amazing, I think it’s really really nice.”
The benefits of this campaign and the ongoing work of the National Literacy Trust in Salford are obvious, with its work not only benefitting the children of Salford and their families, but also the volunteers and workers of the charity. Lead Literacy Champion, Lyz Aguiar, continued: “I wanted also to give like something meaningful back, or to make like a real and positive impact. So I thought this so this was really, really perfect.
What I also like the most about the Salford hub is how they are open to listen to us and to listen to our ideas, so it means that we can provide an even bigger support to the community here.
So I’m really happy as being a volunteer for the National Literacy Trust and I can sum up by saying that it just feels like good to do good.”
As of 2026, Salford will be beginning its centenary celebrations to commemorate 100 years since it was officially named a city. To celebrate this, the Department for Education is running the National Year of Reading 2026, in collaboration with the National Literacy Trust. This campaign focuses on changing the nation’s reading culture by inviting people to see how reading supports success.
This book-gifting campaign is part of the National Literacy Trust’s efforts to reach families across the country and improve levels of regional enjoyment, in preparation for the 2026 National Year of Reading.
The National Literacy Trust encourages anyone to get involved by contacting salford@literacytrust.org.uk to help them reach as many families as possible this Christmas.
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