Last year alone, more than 63,000 children left primary school unable to read to the expected level. Low literacy skills can have a devastating impact on the lives of individuals and our communities, and are estimated to cost the UK economy £81 billion every year. At Beanstalk we believe that life is better when everyone can read well and express themselves with confidence. That’s why we recruit and train volunteer reading helpers to go into a local primary school and provide one-to-one support to a child struggling with their reading. Our volunteers change lives, without them, thousands of children would still be struggling to read, and facing all the problems associated with low literacy levels. But we need more reading helpers if we’re to be able to offer this support to all those who need it. To find out how you can inspire a child to read,  please call our North East office on 01325 315040 or email durham@ beanstalkcharity.org.uk