Bouygues UK Champions Literacy Through Partnership with Chapter One

Bouygues UK is proud to be collaborating with Chapter One, a leading children’s literacy charity, as part of our ongoing commitment to education and social value. As a Silver Partner, this partnership reflects our shared belief that literacy is the foundation for opportunity and long-term success.

Through the support of the Bouygues Construction Foundation, Bouygues UK successfully secured €35,000 to support Chapter One’s programmes. This funding is helping to deliver vital literacy support to children across London and the South East during the current academic year.

“Thank you to the Bouygues Construction Foundation for your wonderful support; you have opened up a world of possibilities for children facing disadvantage.”

Chapter One Team

“Securing the donation via Bouygues Foundation to make this collaboration possible, is extremely rewarding. We first met ChapterOne a couple of years ago at a Conference where the words of the Chief Executive (Emma Bell) resonated with the audience. She simply said “can you imagine a world without literacy, a world where a child goes through life with difficulty of comprehension, not being able to enjoy story books or read or write. The disadvantages and barriers this causes is numerous.”

On hearing the above, we were encouraged to work with ChapterOne! Overall, working with ChapterOne makes good business sense and it complements one of our Social Value Pillars, Education Skills.”

Jeff Joseph, Head of CSR

Making a real impact through volunteering

In 2025, Bouygues UK proudly registered its’ first 18 employees as Corporate Volunteers, who completed Chapter One’s onboarding process and were paired with a partner school in October. Through Chapter One’s Online Reading Volunteers and Book Club Programmes, our volunteers provide children with one-to-one reading practice at a crucial stage in their learning journey, helping to build confidence, enjoyment and essential reading skills.

“I was a teaching assistant in my former work life and so jumped at the chance of volunteering with ChapterOne, I can absolutely see the value in giving half an hour of my time each week to support a child’s reading. It’s become the highlight of my week!”

Kathryn Ridyard, Resident Liaison Officer & Social Value Advisor

“Having read more in the past few years than ever before, I’ve come to truly appreciate the benefits of reading. The pupil I am supporting has a good level of ability so just giving that extra time will hopefully enhance their time in the school environment and help them strengthen an essential life skill.”

Seamus McQuaid, Deputy Recruitment Manager

Supporting education at every level

This partnership strongly aligns with:

• The mission of the Bouygues Construction Foundation, with education at its’ heart
• Education Skills, one of Bouygues UK’s four Social Value pillars
• Our ambition to encourage staff participation through online volunteering

Aligned with the National Year of Reading 2026

In a timely and welcome coincidence, the UK Government has announced that 2026 will be the National Year of Reading, a nationwide campaign celebrating the importance of reading for pleasure, learning and wellbeing.

This national initiative perfectly complements our collaboration with Chapter One and reinforces why literacy matters — not only for children’s academic outcomes, but for their confidence, creativity and future prospects. Bouygues UK is proud to be contributing to this wider movement and supporting a cause that resonates so strongly with our values.

“The impact of the Chapter One reading programme on our children has been extremely positive. Regular one to one reading sessions have made a noticeable difference to our pupils’ confidence and engagement with reading. Children who were previously reluctant or unsure readers now approach reading time with much greater enthusiasm and self belief.

We have seen clear improvements especially in terms of vocabulary but just as importantly, children are developing a more positive attitude towards reading overall. Having dedicated time with a reading partner gives them space to practise without pressure, which has helped them feel more comfortable taking risks and challenging themselves.

We are extremely grateful for the support Bouygues has provided, as programmes like Chapter One make a meaningful and lasting difference to our pupils.”

Teacher at Galleywall Primary School in Southwark, London

Bouygues UK is delighted to be working alongside Chapter One to help transform young lives — one book, one child, and one volunteer at a time.