Donate Today to Get Children Reading
Help us to turn the page on the reading crisis for children in our community
Imagine a childhood with no books – no bedtime stories, no magical adventures in your mind, and no new discoveries on the page. In 2025, 1 in 10 children and young people aged 8-18 said that they do not have a book of their own, and only 1 in 5 said that they read daily – the lowest levels since 2005*. Recent research has revealed that in Cambridgeshire, 27% of five-year-olds are falling behind with their reading.**
It’s time to make a difference.
One-off donations can make a huge difference to the support we can give to children. Monthly donations – large or small – are particularly welcome as they allow the Festival to plan ahead with confidence, and provide consistent support to our local communities.
* National Literacy Trust Research 2025 ** Pro Bono Economics Research 2024
2026 is the National Year of Reading
This year we are expanding our activities to address this crisis:
- We are launching The Children’s Choice Award – children from three local primary schools will judge which author should win this award which will be presented at the Children’s Spring Festival.
- A selection of recorded events will be available to watch for FREE on our website all year long.
- Drop-in events will be held at Cambridge Central Library each half term.
- Our Children’s Festival in April 2026 will again be FREE. We will be working with local schools to ensure that children who might never have had the chance to join in the fun are provided with tickets.
- Our annual FREE Schools Day will be held again in May 2026 for primary and secondary schools. Last year we sent over 600 children home with a FREE book.
- We’re taking authors into three city primary schools.
- We will continue to donate 100s of books to local libraries and schools.
We Need Your Help
As a charity, we rely on donations and fundraising to support around 50% of our income. Our outreach programme is heavily supported by the generosity of our audience members. Will you be one of them?
If you would like to discuss making a larger donation, please contact elizabeth@cambridgeliteraryfestival.com.
Please show your support, at no extra cost to you
If you are a UK taxpayer and would like Cambridge Literary Festival to claim Gift Aid on any donations, subscriptions or memberships that you have made in the last four years or will make in the future, please complete the Gift Aid declatration at checkout. If you have already completed this in the past, then the form will not appear. You can change your Gift Aid status in My Account.
If more Gift Aid is claimed on your donation than you have paid in tax you accept it is your responsibility to pay the difference (Gift Aid is claimed at a rate of 25p for every £1 you give).
