Our Story

Assisted Reading for Children (ARCh) is a registered charity, dedicated to raising enjoyment of literacy for children in Oxfordshire via a network of dedicated volunteers.

Our service is available to all primary schools in the county.

Our vision

Our vision is to inspire a love of reading in children from all of Oxfordshire’s communities, which will enhance their wellbeing and improve their life chances.

Community impact

The work of ARCh benefits the community in a number of ways, primarily in the advancement of education, but it also can lead to the prevention of poverty, the advancement of citizenship and community development, and relief for those in need by reason of youth, age, ill health, disability or financial or other disadvantage.

Our history

Elaine and Jane ran the Oxfordshire branch of a national charity called Volunteer Reading Help until 2008 when the charity closed five 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.

Awards

• 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 and Voluntary Action (OCVA).
• ARCh is proud to be the Cherwell Business Awards Charity of the Year 2019.