BRITAIN URGED TO ʻMAKE TIME FOR A STORY’ IN HONOUR OF DOLLY PARTON
Screenshot
As people come together this week to celebrate Dolly Parton’s life and legacy, leading up to Give Like Dolly Day on September 25th – 9/25 – families across Britain are being invited to honour one of Dolly’s greatest legacies in a simple way: open a book with a child and make time for a story.
The call comes as Postcode Lottery players have raised £5 million to support a major new chapter for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, helping the programme reach a new generation of children. The funding will mean that approximately 157,000 children across London are now eligible to receive a free book every month from birth until the age of five.
The expansion builds on an extraordinary UK legacy. More than seven million Imagination Library books have already been gifted to children in the UK, with the programme today working through around 320 local programme partners.
The announcement is being made at the British Library, where children and families from across London boroughs will come together to pay tribute to Dolly’s life by doing something she cared deeply about: sharing books, reading together and making time for a story. At the heart of the event is a simple idea: every book arriving through a child’s door can open up a whole new world of imagination.
Thanks to support from Postcode Lottery players, the funding could ultimately see almost two million books delivered into London homes each year and marks an important new chapter for the programme Dolly created more than 30 years ago – with the belief that every child, whatever their circumstances, should have books of their own.
Dolly founded the Imagination Library in 1995 in tribute to her father, Robert Lee Parton, who could not read or write. What began in her home county in Tennessee has become an international movement, delivering millions of books to children and families.
The idea challenges the assumption that stories only belong at bedtime. Family life does not always work that way. Parents work shifts, families live apart, and grandparents and carers often play a central role. A story might happen at breakfast, after nursery, on the sofa or over a video call.
There is no right time for a story. What matters is making the time to share one.
Jeff Conyers, President of The Dollywood Foundation said:
“Dolly believed passionately that every child deserved the chance to fall in love with books, and she spent her life turning that belief into something real.
“This expansion means her extraordinary work does not simply continue, it grows. Thanks to Postcode Lottery players, thousands more children will now know the excitement of a book arriving through their door every month.
“There could be no more fitting way to honour Dolly than to keep doing what she asked us to do: put books into children’s hands, open them together and make time for a story. It’s a small act, but very much in Dolly’s spirit – turning love and generosity into something that can change a child’s life.”
Children in the programme receive one specially selected, age-appropriate book in the post every month from birth to age five, free of charge to their families. A child enrolled from birth can receive up to 60 books before starting school.
Clara Govier, Managing Director, Postcode Lottery said:
“Dolly understood the extraordinary power of something very simple: a child, a grown-up and a book.
“Our players can be incredibly proud that their support will help 157,000 children experience that for themselves.
“This £5 million commitment helps one of Dolly’s most important legacies reach a new generation of children and families. Every book that arrives through a child’s door can open another door to a whole new world of imagination and, we hope, a lifelong love of reading.”
The expansion is focused on London, where seven new boroughs have joined the programme – Wandsworth, Camden, Hackney, Greenwich, Lewisham, Newham and Barking and Dagenham – alongside existing programmes in Lambeth, Southwark and the City of London.
This builds on a longstanding relationship between Postcode Lottery players and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. From 2017 to 2021, Postcode Lottery support helped fund an England-wide project delivered in partnership with the children’s literacy charity Coram Beanstalk, providing Imagination Library books to families.
Today, the Imagination Library works through around 320 local programme partners across the UK, with children from all four nations benefitting – availability depends on whether a programme operates in a family’s area.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said:
“The expansion of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is a wonderful tribute to her incredible commitment to help children learn to read. Dolly was an extraordinary talent whose warmth and generosity touched the lives of millions and it’s fantastic that over 150,000 children in London will now receive a free book every month. Sharing a story is a simple and enjoyable way to inspire, educate and connect with children, and I encourage families across the capital to sit down and read a book together in honour of Dolly.”
