Josh MacAlister OBE, MP for Whitehaven and Workington and Minister for Children, Families and Wellbeing, visited Distington Community School last week to see first-hand how national literacy charity Chapter One is using its award-winning online platform to boost young children’s reading skills in West Cumbria.

During the visit, Mr MacAlister saw pupils taking part in Chapter One's Online Reading Volunteers Programme, which connects corporate employees with children aged 5 to 8 for weekly one-to-one reading sessions via a secure virtual platform. Children connect with their volunteer readers from their classroom via a laptop and headset for 30-minute sessions that combine stories and games and activities, building both reading skills and confidence in a fun, engaging way. Volunteers from Sellafield Ltd and Amentum, who support children at Distington, joined the visit.

The programme addresses a growing national challenge. Across the UK, only around 1 in 3 children say they enjoy reading - the lowest level since 2005 - and 37% of disadvantaged children leave primary school unable to read to the expected standard (42% in the Whitehaven and Workington constituency). In 2023-24 in Whitehaven and Workington, 32.1% of children were living in relative poverty (End Child Poverty, 2025). Research consistently shows that reading for pleasure has more impact on a child’s progress than parental income or level of education.

Across West Cumbria, since 2023, 834 Chapter One volunteers from almost 40 companies have supported 900 children in local primary schools, with 13 of the schools located in the Whitehaven and Workington constituency alone.

Josh MacAlister said: "What I saw at Distington Community School shows exactly what's possible when businesses, schools and charities work together. Children in this constituency are getting the one-to-one reading support they need, and the flexible, remote model means companies from across both the region and beyond can play a part."

Mr MacAlister also read to pupils the Chapter One story Ewan's Quarry Adventure, which is available to read on the Chapter One Global Free Library.

Leanne Savage, Head of School, Distington Community School, said: “Chapter One runs as a hugely successful, seamless intervention across our school. The one to one reading support that volunteers provide to our children is like gold dust!”

Emma Bell, CEO of Chapter One, said: "It's wonderful to welcome Josh MacAlister to see Chapter One's programme in action in West Cumbria. What's been built here - with original funding from Sellafield Ltd and the support of supply chain partners such as Amentum, Morgan Sindall, Mott MacDonald, Kier, and other business connected to West Cumbria - is a simple, powerful model that allows local businesses to make a transformative difference to young lives in the communities that matter to them and their staff."

Chapter One is a lead delivery partner for the government-backed National Year of Reading 2026.