Grimm Literacy Statistics Sparks Fairytale Ending as Airmaster Team up with new Literacy Charity

14th August 2014

Airmaster, leading Swallownest-based energy efficient heating and cooling company, is delighted to announce their involvement with Grimm & Co, a new Yorkshire literacy charity.

 Grimm & Co, based in Rotherham and working around the region, aims to unlock imaginations, engage, enthuse and inspire children and young people in the literary arts. The fun starts with Grimm & Co's free Story Festival 4-16 August for ages 7-16 and with more exciting events running over the summer weeks. Airmaster's resources director and Chamber board member Lisa Pogson is behind the new partnership. -I met Deborah Bullivant, who is Director at Grimm & Co, on the women in business group I help lead at Barnsley Rotherham Chamber, when she had just started raising funds for the charity and forming local links. It all connected to the community, helping with literacy, reading and learning which has been so important on my own journey, so I immediately felt compelled to help in some way.  Deborah is an amazing lady and before I knew it I was on the charity board, volunteering!' Lisa smiled. The idea for Grimm & Co. was inspired by the Dave Eggers' Ted Talk 'Once Upon a School', the work of the San Francisco Pirate Supply Store and of the Ministry of Stories in London (Hoxton St Monster Supplies). The retail presence was inspired by Mary Portas and her High Street transformation work in Rotherham. -Every study into literacy shows it has a massive effect on people's life chances, explains Lisa. -It cannot be right that last year, English 16 to 24 year olds came 22nd out of 24 countries measured for literacy levels by the OECD. It is vital that children enjoy reading - reading for pleasure is more important than either wealth or social class as an indicator of success at school. Yet I hear from the Reading Agency only 40% of England's ten year olds have a positive attitude to reading- a tide this project aims to turn. Airmaster is also collecting items for the Apothecary, the shop that will help to sustain the Grimm & Co writing centre, for which we have exciting plans afoot this year, Lisa concluded. Lisa, (44) was born in Sheffield and now lives in Rotherham with husband, Don and their six year old daughter, Hannah. Her interest in literacy may stem from her own background as a Saturday girl in the much-missed Hartley Seed bookshop in Broomhill, sparking a lifelong love of reading and dreams of writing a chick-lit bestseller like her favourite-Barnsley author Millie Johnson! Lisa can often be seen representing Airmaster and the Barnsley Rotherham Chamber Women in Business group at events around the region. She is a huge supporter of projects increasing literacy and enterprise skills in schools from Biz Kids to Workwise and STEM ambassador to literacy projects around the region. Grimm & Co are currently recruiting for volunteers and commissioning artists on a freelance basis to undertake a range of projects. Contact volunteer@grimmandco.co.uk More information on events can be found on their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/GrimmAndCo/info and website http://grimmandco.wordpress.com/ Airmaster on 0114 2889911 www.airmaster.uk.com