CHB - BAME and Disabled Bookshop proposal. - £10,000

Custom House Bookshop CIC is an inclusive bookshop that will shortly open in the heart of Custom House. Less than 5% of children's books published in the U.K. feature a disabled or non white character. In our neighbourhood more than 70% of our children and young adults are non white. In order for a child to feel part of their world, it is important to read books that reflect themselves and their environment. We will use the funding to create a safe reading space where we will stock books for dyslexic people, buy an optical reader for the visually impaired and have a BSL interpreter for deaf children when we have activities and events. Our premises will be wheelchair accessible. We will have the young people use social media to do their own reviews and recommendations. In partnership with the local authority, libraries, schools and local stakeholders, we will have regular intergenerational storytelling sessions and promote the joy of reading which raises the level of literacy in the community. This proposal aligns with Priority 2.