Why We're Asking SRAG Members to Bring a Book

September 16, 2025Posted by: Sarah

International Literacy Day on 8 September was a reminder of the scale of the challenge we face  - and the urgency of action required. 

One in four adults in the UK struggles with reading and writing. In prisons, the picture is even starker: more than half of people in custody have literacy levels expected of an 11-year-old or younger. These figures aren’t improving - in fact, levels of functional literacy across the country are declining year on year. The impact on employability, wellbeing and community resilience is profound.

At PeoplePlus, we are using September to spotlight literacy across our education programmes -showing both the scale of the challenge and the difference we can make together.

As Kenny Boyle, PeoplePlus CEO, told colleagues this month: “Behind every certificate earned or book completed is a learner proving to themselves that change is possible. Literacy is more than a skill. It is the foundation for opportunity, confidence and independence.”

A Growing Footprint, a Shared Responsibility

PeoplePlus is the UK’s largest provider of prison education. We already deliver in 23 prisons across England and Wales, and in every prison in Scotland. Every week, thousands of learners come through our classrooms, libraries and workshops. Each one represents an opportunity to build skills, reduce reoffending, and strengthen communities.

That scale means we can make a huge impact together - but only if we treat literacy as a shared national priority.

Small Actions, Big Difference

At HMP Millsike, our colleagues piloted a simple but powerful practice. Every new arrival finds a book on their bed, along with a bookmark welcoming them to the prison library. It’s a small gesture that sends an important message from day one: reading is encouraged, support is available, and education is central to rehabilitation.

This initiative is now inspiring others. But to keep expanding, we need more books in circulation. That’s where we're asking Social Recruitment Advocacy Group members if they can help. 

The Role of Sodexo

The next SRAG Summit will be hosted by Sodexo at St James’ Park in Newcastle. As the first organisation to achieve Ambassador level in the SRAG Charter Mark framework, Sodexo UK & Ireland brings a long-standing record of delivering social impact in prisons. Their Starting Fresh programme has already helped more than 700 people with convictions into sustainable work, and their commitment to rehabilitation runs through every part of their prison-facing operations.

With Sodexo’s strong track record in prison education and rehabilitation - and partners such as The Recruitment Junction, Clinks and Wildhearts: Business for Good social enterprise also involved -this summit provides a natural opportunity to connect our focus on literacy with the wider agenda of opportunity and inclusion.

What SRAG Members Are Asked to Donate

Employers and partners in the Social Recruitment Advocacy Group are being invited to support this initiative by bringing books to the upcoming summit. Every site has its own needs, but SRAG members are asked to follow these simple guidelines. This helps ensure donations are safe, appropriate and genuinely useful for learners - and that every book finds a home where it can make a difference.

Not suitable for donation

• Books promoting extreme views or ideology

• Content with excessive violence or a focus on gang culture

• Material that depicts groups as lesser (e.g. The Handmaid’s Tale)

• Graphic sexual content of any kind

• Excessive use of weapons or substance misuse

Very welcome across sites

• Marvel and DC comics

• Biographies and autobiographies

• Sci-fi titles

• Self-help books - always in demand

• True crime (assessed on a book-by-book basis at each site)

All donated books are reviewed by our education teams before distribution to ensure they are appropriate and safe for learners. Where something isn’t suitable for a particular site, it will be redirected so it can still be used elsewhere.

Why This Matters

Declining literacy is a barrier that stops people accessing work, managing their health, or supporting their families. In prisons, low literacy is directly linked to higher rates of reoffending. Turning that around is an urgent challenge. 

By donating a book, SRAG members are helping us:

• Support literacy and education targets across our prisons.

• Provide learners with safe, constructive and inspiring reading material.

• Reduce isolation on a first night in custody by offering something positive.

• Build confidence, wellbeing and employability through the habit of reading.

• Build awareness of the power of literacy in all walks of life. 

Turning the Page Today 

This is about more than filling shelves. It’s about making learning central to rehabilitation. Each donated book has the power to spark curiosity, build confidence in independent reading and help someone believe in their ability to change. Books that have been well read and meet the criteria can go on to play a part in building new lives.

As we shared in our piece for literacy week, every page turned helps create more of the moments our learners describe with pride: “I can’t believe what I can do now.”

Together, across our prison education footprint in England, Wales and every prison in Scotland, we can multiply those moments into lasting change.

For further information, please contact [email protected] 

September 16, 2025Posted by: Sarah