South Leeds’ floating bookshop, Hold Fast Books at Leeds Dock has been awarded a grant as part of Penguin Random House’s Penguin Children’s Bookshop Grant 2026.
Bookshop co-owner Victoria Bonner explained:
“Our grant is to enable us to continue giving books to Leeds children who are in residential or foster care, or receiving support from children’s services at home. Reading means the world to us and we want to help children who might not otherwise have access to books. We are very grateful to Penguin for helping us to do this, and can’t wait to get the books out there to children who are living with challenging situations – we know reading can be a comfort and a distraction and it’s great to be able to share that.”
Last Christmas Hold Fast asked its customers to donate 206 books to children in care in Leeds. The response was magnificent with 206 volumes passed on to Children’s Services in time for Christmas.
In total, 159 applications were submitted by independent booksellers seeking support for the delivery of initiatives aimed at igniting and fostering a love of reading amongst young people during the National Year of Reading. The quality and ambition of the applications highlighted the unwavering passion and dedication of booksellers to nurturing and driving children’s literacy.
Following this exceptional response, 44 independent bookshops have now been selected to receive grants of between £1,500 – £5,000 to see their proposals through to delivery. The grants will fund a wide range of projects which include: courses to increase the verbal reading confidence of parents and guardians; a book gifting scheme aimed at children in care; a young footballers’ reading club; a scheme empowering pupils to decide which books are in their school libraries; a reading engagement programme centred around graphic novels and manga; and the compilation and publication of a collection of translated stories from local families for whom English is an additional language.
Applications were assessed based on their innovation, impact and reach, inclusivity and accessibility, clarity of plan, and value for money.
Francesca Dow, Managing Director of Penguin Random House Children’s, said:
“It has been uplifting and exciting to see the enthusiastic response to the Penguin Children’s Bookshop Grant and we thank every single bookshop that entered. The ingenuity of our independent booksellers and their steadfast commitment to supporting their local communities and the young readers within them is truly inspiring and was evidenced in all the applications submitted.
“I feel sure that the work set to be delivered by the grant recipients will not only have a lasting impact on children, families and communities but also help to spark further innovation and ideas across the country, helping even more young people discover the joy of reading for pleasure. That is our hope and our aim for this grant and we are excited to see the ideas come to life in their communities.”
Elspeth Dougall, Head of Sales: Independents and Wholesalers, Penguin Random House UK, said:
“Independent bookshops are embedded in their communities, so we knew we would get a great response to the grant. But we’ve been blown away by the volume of applications, and the level of creativity and thought reflected in them. It’s a powerful reminder of what these shops are doing every day, and their vital contribution to children’s literacy and reading for pleasure across the UK.”
The Penguin Children’s Bookshop Grant was launched in February to support and further extend the reach and impact of the invaluable work that independent bookshops deliver on a daily basis to help young people to develop a positive, lasting relationship with reading. The grant forms part of Penguin Random House UK’s commitment to the National Year of Reading, and its long-term work to ensure that every child is able to access and enjoy books.
For further information about the grant, please visit:
www.penguin.co.uk/discover/campaigns/penguin-childrens-bookshop-grant
For further information aboutHold Fast Bookshop, please visit: holdfastleeds.co.uk
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