Why no freebies?
This year we are investing the money we would have otherwise
spent on freebies to help support the firm’s Linking Work With
Learning programme. This is an initiative which aims to raise
levels of literacy and employability across the borough of Hackney
in East London. We will be helping to support the StarLit
Festival (a week-long festival of children’s literature) by
buying books for the schools and pupils attending.
The firm has a long relationship with the
borough of Hackney. Over a period of three years, we are investing
over £1 million in time and money to help raise levels of literacy
and employability. To date, almost 2,500 students from over 50
schools have benefited from our Linking Work With Learning
programme.
The StarLit Festival, the largest of its kind
in London, will celebrate the very best of writing for 5 to
15-year-olds, inspire new writing and promote reading in all its
forms. The week-long festival of children’s literature will run
from Monday 5 to Friday 9 October. During the day there will be a
variety of author workshops and signings in the historic Hoxton
Square, followed by an evening event for both adults and children.
The first evening event will be Shining Bright, a sparkling evening
of poetry and performance hosted by Michael Rosen, Children’s Poet
Laureate.
During the week, the festival will be
providing over 2,000 children with the opportunity to read new
books and meet their creators in an exciting programme of daytime
events featuring over 70 authors, illustrators and poets. Instead
of giving out more freebies at law fairs and university events we
have spent the money on providing books for all participating
schools and reading groups, and ensuring that each of the 2,000
children who attend the festival will also receive a book of their
own to take home.
We hope that our investment in these areas
will help school children in Hackney develop an even more positive
attitude towards learning, opening more doors in the future while
raising their aspirations. Of course, we realise that our help
won’t make a difference overnight, however, having worked closely
with this community for over a decade, we know it will make a
positive difference in the long run. We hope you agree that this is
a better investment for you, for us and for the communities we work
hard to support.
If you would like to find out more about
community investment at Linklaters, or more generally about our
approach to Corporate Responsibility, please click here.