United States
Suella Braverman MP opens ELC UK & Ireland’s newest ‘Reading Oasis’
Press Release, 10 Mar 2020
Local Fareham MP Suella Braverman visited St Columba School to open the new Reading Oasis library funded by The Estée Lauder Companies (ELC) UK & Ireland.
St Columba School, Fareham, is now home to ELC UK & Ireland’s third Reading Oasis in partnership with United Way. This partnership sees volunteers from ELC UK & Ireland build dedicated reading spaces in primary schools to help children acquire the necessary tools and skills to become healthy and productive adults and further emphasises the company’s commitment to raising literacy levels in local communities.
Earlier this year, ELC UK & Ireland signed The National Literacy Trust’s Vision for Literacy Business Pledge 2020 which commits to advancing literacy in the UK as part of tackling social mobility.
Sue Fox, Senior Vice President/ General Manager, ELC UK & Ireland, said:
"Giving every child the opportunity to love reading is something that we’re truly passionate about as a company. Our colleagues have really enjoyed getting involved in building libraries and reading to children. Over the past 12 months, we’ve donated 6,000 books and directly impacted over 1,000 children across 4 new libraries.”
An estimated 5 million adults in the UK have literacy issues, and there is a clear need for new and innovative ways to encourage and facilitate reading among children, yet nearly 800,000 children in the UK do not have a book of their own at home.
Suella Braverman, MP for Fareham, Locks Heath, Park Gate, Portchester, Sarisbury, Titchfield and Warsash said:
"It was a pleasure to open the new Reading Oasis library funded by The Estée Lauder Companies and witness the positive impact the new books have had on the children. Encouraging reading among children is so important and I am delighted that the school has a lovely new library to enjoy."
Jane Hudson-Jones, CEO of United Way said:
“We are thrilled to be partnering with The Estée Lauder Companies UK & Ireland to expand the United Way Reading Oasis project in the UK. The goal of the project is to ensure that every child has the opportunity to love reading, and for every primary school in the UK to have a dedicated space for children to read for pleasure by 2025. We are looking forward to working with The Estée Lauder Companies team on moving closer to our shared goals and hope that the library installations will have a positive, lasting impact on the children.”
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About The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.
The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. is one of the world’s leading manufacturers and marketers of quality skin care, makeup, fragrance and hair care products. The Company’s products are sold in over 150 countries and territories under brand names including: Estée Lauder, Aramis, Clinique, Prescriptives, Lab Series, Origins, Tommy Hilfiger, M·A·C, Kiton, La Mer, Bobbi Brown, Donna Karan New York, DKNY, Aveda, Jo Malone London, Bumble and bumble, Michael Kors, Darphin, Tom Ford, Smashbox, Ermenegildo Zegna, AERIN, RODIN olio lusso, Le Labo, Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle, GLAMGLOW, By Kilian, BECCA, Too Faced and Dr. Jart+.
About United Way
United Way fights for the health, education and financial stability of every person in every community. Supported by 2.9 million volunteers, 8.3 million donors worldwide and $4.6 billion raised every year, United Way is the world’s largest privately-funded nonprofit. We’re engaged in nearly 1,800 communities across more than 40 countries and territories worldwide to create sustainable solutions to the challenges facing our communities. United Way partners include global, national and local businesses, nonprofits, government, civic and faith-based organizations, along with educators, labor leaders, health providers, senior citizens, students and more. For more information about United Way, please visit UnitedWay.org. Follow us on Twitter: @unitedwayuk and #LiveUnited.