Steve Barclay MP visited Persimmon Homes East Midlands' Abbot Walk development in Whittlesey to mark a £1,000 donation to his Read to Succeed programme, an initiative that helps local children maintain literacy skills over the summer holidays.

The donation, part of Persimmon’s Community Champions scheme, will enable children in Year 4 and above from local primary schools to receive their own book to keep, a crucial step in supporting continued learning outside of term time.

Steve Barclay was welcomed to site by Mark Mellors, Construction Director and Damien Ramm, Site Manager at Abbot Walk, who provided a tour of the development. The Cambridgeshire MP spoke to Mark and Damien about the programme’s success, highlighting that Read to Succeed marks 10 years of book donations this year and has donated over 20,000 books to children in Cambridgeshire schools so far.

Mark Mellors, Construction Director said:

"We’re proud to support community initiatives like Read to Succeed through our Community Champions scheme. We’re pleased to encourage literacy and education through this latest donation and pleased to hear of the support this initiative provides to local children.”