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More than 200 pupils at Minerva Primary School in Taunton are benefitting from a donation of books from Taunton Vale Rotary Club.
Over recent weeks club members have been collecting ‘as new’ children’s books and these have now been presented to the school as part of the Rotary Books4home scheme.
School literacy lead, Sarah Elsley says: “We are so grateful to the Rotary Club for their generous donation of books for our incredible children. Reading is one of the most important foundations for a child’s future, helping to develop vocabulary, confidence, empathy and lifelong learning skills.
Young people’s reading enjoyment is at crisis point according to the latest research from the National Literacy Trust which reveals it is at the lowest level since records began in 2005. The Trust report finds -
- Only 1 in 3 young people aged 8 to 18 say they enjoy reading in their free time and only 1 in 5 say they read something daily.
- In 2025, far fewer children receiving free school meals (FSMs) had a book of their own compared with their peers who did not receive FSMs.
- However, nearly four times as many children and young people with a book of their own at home said they enjoyed reading compared with those without their own book (40% vs 11.3%).
The Taunton Vale Rotary books4home programme allows youngsters to experience owning a book of their very own. It empowers children to develop a love of reading and encourages children to share their love of reading with family and friends.
Improved literacy and environment are both key aims of the Rotary movement.
Rotarian Richard Austin says: “Making just one NEW book produces approximately the same amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions as a 17 mile car journey and this doubles for any book that ends up in land-fill. By re-using pre-read books rather than buying new we are helping to protect the planet. So reusing pre-owned books saves waste and helps the environment.
Pre-read books still have great stories to tell, and whilst we are unable to undo the emissions from initial production, we can work towards a carbon neutral future by keeping them from needlessly going to waste.”
Taunton Vale Rotary is already collecting more books so that the programme can be continued and expanded to reach other children.If you have good as new children’s books which you no-longer need, please get in touch via hello@tauntonvalerotary.org
Minerva Primary School at Halcon, Taunton