UK Team Establishes 200 “Raising Readers Book Nooks” in High-Need Book Deserts 

9 July 2026, London, UK – To reverse the decline in children’s reading for pleasure, over 1,600 Hachette employees stepped away from their desks today to lead a global day of Raising Readers social impact and fundraising projects. This massive volunteer effort consolidates Hachette’s multi-million-copy campaign to fight the reading-for-pleasure crisis and serves as a flagship event in the publisher’s bicentennial celebrations, marking 200 years since its founding in 1826. 

Timed to support the UK’s National Year of Reading, Raising Readers Day brings together publishers, charities and communities behind a shared goal: encouraging more children to discover the joy of reading for pleasure and helping families make reading together part of everyday life.  

In the UK, Hachette partnered with The Reading Agency to deploy a £200,000 fund to create 200 Raising Readers Book Nooks. Staff transformed community spaces across the country into bespoke reading environments. Each Book Nook features dedicated seating and shelving supplied by Peters, alongside a curated library of 100 new titles donated by Hachette Children’s Books. 

The Hachette-funded book nooks have been placed in community spaces that currently lack access to books, including Women’s shelters, Refugee centres, mosques, doctors’ surgeries, children’s hospital wards, churches, and even at Michael Morpurgo’s Devon farm, in partnership with his charity, Farms for City Children.  

Michael Morpurgo, author and co-founder of Farms for City Children, said: “Every child deserves the chance to discover the wonder that a book can bring. Stories help us make sense of ourselves and of one another; they nurture curiosity, compassion and hope, and they stay with us for life. At Farms for City Children, we see every day how children flourish when they are given time, space and encouragement to explore the world around them, and books are an important part of that journey. I’m delighted that Raising Readers Book Nooks will help place books into the heart of communities, opening doors to imagination and ensuring more children can experience the lifelong gift of reading.” 

David Shelley, CEO Hachette UK and Hachette Book Group (US), said: ‘Reading books for pleasure has been proven to be the number one activity to positively influence a child’s future success – yet there are many millions of children around the world without access to books. I’m very proud of everyone across Hachette who volunteered to help get books to those who need them, and grateful to all the fantastic partners we worked with on that initiative who are doing so much to help as many children as possible to develop a love of reading.’ 

Hachette UK’s fundraising challenges also included: cycling 65 miles from Hachette UK Distribution to Hachette’s London office, Carmelite House; taking part in sponsored walks of 10k and 2k; and a run-a-thon relay around London. All money raised will go to The National Literacy Trust and The Reading Agency.  

Karen Napier, CEO of The Reading Agency, said: “Reading for pleasure has the power to change lives, yet too many children are growing up without regular access to books or welcoming places to read. That’s why we’re delighted to partner with Hachette UK on Raising Readers Book Nooks, creating inviting spaces where children and families can discover the joy of reading in their own communities. Together, we’re helping remove barriers to books and ensuring that more children, whatever their background, have the opportunity to build a lifelong reading habit that supports wellbeing, confidence and future success. As families take part in this year’s Summer Reading Challenge, we hope these new Book Nooks will provide even more opportunities for children to keep reading, exploring and enjoying stories throughout the summer and beyond.” 

David Hayman, National Year of Reading, Campaign Director, commented: “One of the most encouraging things about the National Year of Reading is seeing so many people give their time to help bring books and reading into more communities across the UK. Raising Readers Day is a great example of how volunteering can help make reading a more visible and accessible part of everyday life. It’s fantastic to see Hachette colleagues creating welcoming spaces, sharing books and working alongside charities and local organisations to help deliver the campaign on the ground.” 

In addition, staff have volunteered to work at a library for the day, help update school libraries, skills share with BookBanks, and pack books at Book Aid’s new warehouse in Swindon. Partnering with six UK charities, including Hachette’s first collaboration with Bookmark, the social impact extends far beyond the UK, with Hachette offices worldwide activating local partnerships: 

Following on from Raising Readers Day, all Raising Readers partners will join Hachette to release a Public Service Announcement on 21 July, which outlines the current reading crisis and the impact of reading with children for 10 minutes a day.  

Raising Readers was launched by UK and US CEO David Shelley in 2024, with the campaign’s core engine utilising the power of Hachette’s author network. Back-of-book letters advocating for family reading time are included across adult fiction and nonfiction print, ebook and audiobooks. By the end of 2026, the Raising Readers call to action will reach an estimated 25 million print and digital copies worldwide. To reach multi-format audiences, the initiative features dedicated audio messages recorded by high-profile spokespersons, including Academy Award-winning actress Reese Witherspoon (US) and author and broadcaster Lorraine Kelly (UK). 

Recent data from the National Literacy Trust highlights a stark reality: only 36.1% of 8–18-year-olds read for pleasure, with the gap widening between children from disadvantaged backgrounds and their peers. Because reading for fun is the single biggest predictor of a child’s future life chances, outranking family income or parental education, Hachette is leveraging its massive global footprint to reverse this trend and encourage parents and carers to read with their child for 10 minutes a day.  

For more information about the initiative, downloadable toolkits, or details on how to get involved, please visit www.raisingreaders.co.uk.  

Media kit, including approved photographs available on request. 

All media and partnership enquiries to: maura.wilding@hachette.co.uk