Anglian Water has teamed up with a reading charity to leave a literacy legacy alongside its new multi-million-pound water main network. 

Thousands of books have been donated to 11 schools close to the route of the water company’s flagship project – hundreds of kilometres of underground, interconnecting pipelines, stretching from North Lincolnshire to Essex. 

The new pipelines will move water from wetter to drier areas of the region. 

In addition to the books, Anglian Water staff will work alongside children as reading volunteers and help create ‘story corners’ to give youngsters a space to read as part of their partnership with Bookmark Reading Charity.

Two hundred books were donated to each of five schools in Lincolnshire last year: Worlaby Primary Academy (Worlaby), Mount Street Academy (Lincoln), Bracebridge Infant and Nursery School (Lincoln), Isaac Newton Primary School (Grantham) and Thurlby Primary School (Thurlby) – all close to the route of the pipeline. 

Now, donations have been made to a further six schools in Cambridgeshire and Suffolk: Middleton Primary (Peterborough), The Oaks Primary (Ipswich), Guyhirn CofE Primary (Wisbech), Hintlesham and Chattisham CofE Primary (Ipswich), Kennett Primary School (Newmarket), Ely St Johns Primary school (Ely). 

A trio of the water company’s workers – Alexandra Ismay, Colin Wilkinson and Charlotte Turner – visited Middleton Primary on Friday March 3 to deliver the books in person and spend time with pupils.  

Alexandra Ismay, from Anglian Water, said: “We joined forces with Bookmark during the Covid-19 pandemic and set up several online reading sessions with children. 

“We hope now to build on our partnership and continue deliver a literacy legacy while also educating children about our work and the wider water industry. 

“Our new pipe network is improving the region as a whole and the work with Bookmark will help us give even more value to the communities we serve.” 

Bookmark Reading Charity began in 2018, with the simple aim of helping every child to read. 

In an average class of 30 children, eight will currently leave primary school unable to read fluently, according to the National Literacy Trust. 

If children don’t read well by the age of 11 and don’t enjoy reading, they’re far more likely to have poor literacy as adults (National Literacy Trust). People with poor literacy are more likely to be unemployed or in lower skilled jobs. As a result, low literacy costs the UK economy £36 billion each year (World Literacy Foundation). 

Emily Jack, Head of Schools at Bookmark, said: “Bookmark Reading Charity is very excited about this partnership; it is wonderful to be delivering key services and resources to both new and existing schools within our network.  

“Working closely with Anglian Water we hope that high-quality diverse books, and other resources, will inspire children to read and bring added life to their schools’ reading spaces.  

“We are very grateful to Anglian Water for their support and look forward to both strengthening this partnership and exploring other ways to support children with their reading enjoyment, skills and confidence.” 

Headteacher Alma McGonigle said: “We're delighted with our new books and the partnership we’ve formed with Bookmark and Anglian Water. It will help our children build their enthusiasm for reading and develop a better understanding of the environment around them, in particular the importance of fresh, clean water.”   

Without the new pipelines, which are transferring water from the wetter areas to the drier, future droughts are predicted as demand for water outstrips supply.  

Colin Wilkinson, who is overseeing construction of the new water main network across Lincolnshire, said: “Last summer’s heatwave highlighted the importance of our work, which will and keep fresh, clean water flowing into homes and businesses across the east of England while helping to futureproof the region against water shortages.  

“Without the new water main grid, parts of the region could run out of water as soon as 2030 so the importance of our work really cannot be underestimated.”