RESIDENTS and staff at two Ilkley retirement home complexes have done their bit to help raise more than £200,000 for a national reading charity.

The money has been raised by McCarthy and Stone in a year long partnership with the charity Coram Beanstalk. Priestley Court and Chesterton Court in Ilkley were among those raising money.

The charity recruits, trains and supports volunteers to provide one-to-one support to children aged from three to 13 who have fallen behind with their reading levels and confidence. One in four children across the UK leave primary school without the skills to read, while 5.1 million adults are functionally illiterate.

John Tonkiss, McCarthy and Stone’s CEO, said: “I am immensely proud of all the fundraising efforts over the past year, from all our employees, residents and suppliers in Ilkley. It’s great that we can support Beanstalk and all the wonderful work they do in making a real difference to children’s lives, while helping to inspire the next generation of readers.

“We are extremely grateful for the support shown by the team in Ilkley who made a great contribution to the overall fundraising total, with people dropping-in to McCarthy and Stone’s Northern developments to take part in a sponsored book reading event with local children. Suppliers and contractors also backed the regional team’s fundraising efforts, with financial donations and their participation in events and activities.”

Ginny Lunn, Managing Director for Coram Beanstalk, said: “This is a phenomenal fundraising achievement. McCarthy and Stone’s wonderful employees and residents in Ilkley have gone to great lengths and worked very hard this past year to raise £200,000 for us. We would like to say a sincere thank you to them all. The funds raised will make a real difference to thousands of children who struggle with reading and will help us expand our reach and deliver more vital reading support to children across the country who most need it.”

Visit www.beanstalkcharity.org.uk/mccarthystone.