Our Story
Inspiring a love of readingElaine and Jane ran the Oxfordshire branch of a national charity called Volunteer Reading Help until 2008 when the charity closed 5 branches in the South of England due to a lack of funding. At this time there were 120 volunteers supporting 360 children across Oxfordshire.
With help from many local supporters,ARCh was set up as an independent charity to carry on the good work, focussing purely on Oxfordshire.
In that time we have more than doubled the number of children we help each year thanks to the ever increasing pool of volunteers. The charity’s work is unique in Oxfordshire.
In 2016 ARCh won the Queens Award for Voluntary Service.
In 2018 ARCh was announced as the Oxfordshire Charity of the Year by Oxfordshire Community & Voluntary Action (OCVA).
ARCh is proud to be the Cherwell Business Awards Charity of the Year 2019.
10th birthday celebrations
“I have huge admiration for all that ARCh does for both young people and its very committed and enthusiastic team of volunteers. It is an outstanding example of a really well run and governed charity which has a clear strategy and sets very high standards for all that it does. It is a hugely deserving winner of the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service.”
Sir Tim Stevenson
Former Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire
