Conversation with… Sharon Pindar, chair at Bookmark Reading Charity
Bookmark started in 2018 with a simple vision: a desire for every child to read. The charity partners with schools to encourage a reading for pleasure culture, prioritising the needs of children in disadvantaged communities who face the greatest barriers.
Here we chat with Bookmark’s chair and founder, Sharon Pindar, who was inspired by her own experiences to set up the charity.
What led you to establish Bookmark?
For me, the startling fact is that one in four children leave primary school in the UK unable to read well. That statistic surprises most people. We imagine that the UK is a developed nation, and that basic human rights like literacy should be sorted, but unfortunately, they’re not.
Never Miss a Retail Update!This issue is quite personal for me. Behind every single statistic, like that one in four children, there’s a human story. In my case, it was my mum, who couldn’t read. I saw firsthand just how hard that made her life – from not being able to write my notes to school when I was sick, to struggling with job applications. She faced significant barriers that excluded her from many opportunities, including accessing proper social security support which might have given her greater independence or even helped her escape an abusive relationship.
These experiences, spread across every facet of her life, motivated me. As soon as I was able to support a cause that truly mattered to me, I was determined to address that statistic. Hence, I founded Bookmark back in 2017-2018. At the heart of Bookmark is the mission to provide children with the opportunity to discover a love of reading. Once they develop this passion, they can acquire the skills they need to take control of their own lives.
How can corporations, retailers or suppliers to retail partner with Bookmark and help make a difference?
I can share an example from one of our recent partnerships. We collaborated with an independent shop called Bayley and Sage, which has several locations locally. They launched a “New Year, New Beginnings” campaign, committing 1% of all their January sales to Bookmark, with a matching donation on top of that. The campaign received incredible feedback from their customers. From Bookmark’s perspective, we raised enough money to support 500 more children across an additional 21 schools.
It was a win-win situation: the retailer engaged its customer and employee base in an uplifting way that enhanced their shopping experience, and Bookmark was able to extend our support to even more children.
We also understand the challenges businesses face. That’s why we apply creative ideas to assist with those challenges. For example, if a retailer needs to boost sales or improve working capital, we offer cause-related marketing strategies that benefit both the business and our charity. By identifying a way to support the retailer’s goals, it becomes much easier to broaden our impact.
Are there any other initiatives you would like to highlight?
We have a variety of ideas. For instance, for retailers looking to expand sales in sectors related to children, literacy, or social mobility, we could implement a “Buy One, Support One” initiative, where for every product sold, a donation goes towards a Bookmark child’s literacy resources or reading sessions.
We also suggest “roundup for reading” initiatives, where customers can choose to round up their purchase at checkout, donating the extra amount to Bookmark. While these donations might seem small on their own, they add up over time, enhance brand awareness, and make customers feel great about their shopping experience.
One of our biggest challenges, however, is volunteer recruitment. The current economic climate makes it difficult for many to volunteer their time. By working with corporate partners, we tap into their networks, raise awareness about the literacy crisis, and ultimately attract more volunteers. We’re always exploring creative new ways to address this challenge. Our reading programmes are predominantly delivered online, offering flexible opportunities that fit around busy schedules.
How many corporate members do you have currently?
In various forms, I would say we have close to a hundred corporate members. Their support ranges from donations of around £5,000 to partnerships that contribute hundreds of thousands of pounds.
On our website, we have a dedicated corporate page where businesses can register their interest. Once they reach out, one of our corporate team members will have an initial conversation to understand the company’s goals. From there, we develop a suite of ideas that will benefit both the business and Bookmark.
Ultimately, we aim to grow our partner schools to a thousand, expand our volunteer pool to 4,000, and provide literacy support to over half a million children within the next three years. These are ambitious targets, and we definitely need support from our corporate partners to achieve them.
You mentioned that not all literacy issues are about learning how to read, but also about language barriers. Do you find that some children struggle simply because English is not their family’s first language?
Many children in our programmes speak English as an additional language. It’s important to note that we don’t require our volunteers to speak the child’s home language. The key is to show genuine interest in the child and what they want to read. Understanding their hobbies and interests can unlock their potential.
Even though language barriers pose a significant challenge, a supportive environment where children feel confident reading aloud can be transformational. This confidence often leads to increased classroom engagement, which in turn can encourage their families to participate more actively in reading. The far-reaching impact of igniting a passion for reading cannot be overstated.
Do you or your team speak at events if invited?
We have a dedicated team within the charity that is well-versed in speaking at events. It really depends on the retail community inviting us to participate. We’re keen to attend events to raise awareness about our work. Depending on the focus – whether volunteer engagement or school related initiatives – we have team members who can speak on a variety of topics.
You can find further information on the Bookmark Reading Charity here
