Children’s Books Ireland  is to receive €55,000 from insurance company Ecclesiastical, which distributes its surplus income to good causes.

Ecclesiastical is a specialist insurer of the faith, heritage, fine art, charities, education and private client sectors. It operates in the UK, Ireland, Australia, and Canada and also operates EdenTree Investment Management, which provides a range of ethically screened investment funds.

The company has disbursed £100m to charity over the past five years and is the fourth largest corporate giver in the UK.

CBI chief executive Elaina Ryan said: “Next year will mark the 30th anniversary of our Book of the Year Awards, and the grant from Ecclesiastical is transformational. This grant enables us to extend the scheme to 60 new schools in the Republic and Northern Ireland over the next three years.

“We know that children who read tend to have better academic skills and improved wellbeing, so we will be working with younger children to bring their schools a diverse supply of books, tailored activity packs and visits from authors and illustrators.”

In Association with

Ecclesiastical Ireland managing director David Lane added: “Reading is such an important life skill, and the ability to read is a key factor in helping people to reach their full potential.  As a specialist insurer covering schools, charities, heritage and faith sectors, our core purpose is to contribute to the greater good of society. We do that by giving all our distributable profits to good causes and so charitable giving is at the heart of our business. 

“This summer our Movement for Good awards have motivated over 4,000 members of the public across the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland to support and nominate causes close to their heart.”

Photo: David Lane and Elaina Ryan with students at St Mary’s National School, Dorset Street, in Dublin. (Pic: Robbie Reynolds)