Craigmillar Literacy Trust

What Craigmillar Literacy Trust does

Craigmillar Literacy Trust is a registered Scottish charity (SC027495) and non-profit founded in 1998 in Edinburgh, Scotland, operating from Castlebrae Community High School on Greendykes Road. Its mission is to empower individuals through literacy, with programs that span the full life course from birth to adulthood, delivered across the four east Edinburgh communities of Craigmillar, Niddrie, Bingham, and Magdalene. Programs are community-embedded and relationship-based, with no proprietary technology platform; service delivery relies on human interaction, storytelling, and book gifting, supported by 44+ languages of inclusive resources.

The core portfolio of programs is organized by age stage: Craigmillar Books for Babies (0-4, including Family Support at Home home visits, weekly Rhymetimes, Saturday Storytimes, and book gifting initiated at the 10-day health visitor notification), Craigmillar Stories for Sharing (4-12, including Family Literacy Groups and Creative Residencies), Express Yourself! (12-16 and adults, supporting creative literacy and belonging), and the legacy Craigmillar Book Festival (1998-2019, now transitioned to a year-round community events programme). The Trust also runs training modules (Talking Together, Raising Children with Confidence, Storytelling Workshops) for families and partner agencies.

The business model is entirely grant and donation funded. There is no pricing for services; programs are free to beneficiaries. Revenue streams comprise charitable foundation and trust grants (National Lottery, BBC Children in Need, Robertson Trust, Garfield Weston, Corra Foundation, Foundation Scotland, Cattanach, and others), public sector funding (City of Edinburgh Council), corporate sponsorship (Nairn's Oatcakes), and individual donations via the Local Giving platform, payroll giving, and legacy gifts. Books are sourced via donated partnerships with publishers, literary agents, and bookshops. The organization is governed by a Board of Trustees chaired by Susan Elsley and operationally led by Director Kara Whelan, with a paid staff of approximately six supplemented by sessional workers and volunteers.

Name

Craigmillar Literacy Trust

Legal name

Craigmillar Literacy Trust

Website

https://craigmillarliteracytrust.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Craigmillar Literacy Trust is a registered Scottish charity founded in 1998 that delivers free, community-embedded literacy programs to families, children, young people, and adults across Craigmillar, Niddrie, Bingham, and Magdalene in east Edinburgh, funded entirely by grants and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Literacy Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Early Literacy & Reading Intervention Programs (EDAGAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Library, Reading Motivation & Independent Reading Programs (EDAMAJAO), Foundational Reading & Writing Literacy (EDAAAAAA)

Keywords

• Community literacy programs
• Early childhood literacy
• Family literacy support
• Book gifting program
• Storytelling workshops

Headquarters

HQ city

Edinburgh

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Foundation and Trust Grants: Funding from charitable foundations and trusts including National Lottery Fund, BBC Children in Need, Robertson Trust, Garfield Weston Foundation, Cattanach Trust, Corra Foundation, and others to support literacy programs and operations.
2. Government and Public Sector Funding: Support from City of Edinburgh Council including Children and Families budget, Neighbourhood Partnership funding, and other public sector sources.
3. Corporate and Individual Donations: Sponsorship from Nairn's Oatcakes, individual donors, book donations from publishers, literary agents, bookshops, and community supporters.
4. Charitable Giving and Fundraising: Donations through Local Giving platform, payroll giving, employer match funding, legacy gifts in wills, and fundraising events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Craigmillar Literacy Trust delivers free, community-embedded literacy programmes to families and individuals in the Craigmillar, Niddrie, Bingham and Magdalene areas of east Edinburgh. Its core offerings include early-years book gifting, Rhymetimes and Storytimes, home visiting family support, creative literacy programmes for 4-12 year-olds and 12-16 year-olds, adult literacy support, training workshops, and an annual book festival. All programmes are provided free of charge to participants and are funded through grants, donations and charitable foundations.

Product overview

Craigmillar Literacy Trust offers a portfolio of interconnected literacy programs and services rather than a single software product. The core offerings include: Craigmillar Books for Babies (supporting families with babies and young children through books, stories, rhymes and songs); Craigmillar Stories for Sharing (encouraging creative literacy for children aged 4-12 through storytelling); Express Yourself! (creative literacy projects for young people aged 12-16 and adults); and Craigmillar Book Festival (celebrating books through author workshops and events). Supporting services include Training programmes (Talking Together, Raising Children with Confidence, Storytelling Workshops), Book Gifting (distributing books from birth through health visitors and community events), and Family Support at Home (home visiting programme). The programs are relationship-based and embedded in the community, working in partnership with families, health visitors, schools, libraries, and community groups.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Craigmillar Books for Babies: A programme supporting families with babies and young children to develop communication and literacy skills through books, stories, rhymes and songs.
• Craigmillar Stories for Sharing
• Express Yourself!
• Craigmillar Book Festival

Products and services

• Craigmillar Books for Babies A flagship programme supporting families with babies and young children to develop communication and literacy skills through books, stories, rhymes and songs, including home visiting, Rhymetimes, Storytimes, and book gifting.
• Family Support at Home A home visiting programme for families living in the Craigmillar area, supporting parents and carers to explore sharing books and songs with their children and sharing key messages on child development.
• Rhymetimes and Storytimes Weekly Baby and Toddler Rhymetime sessions and Saturday Storytimes led by a Storyteller in Residence, providing families opportunities to socialise and engage with stories through oral storytelling, puppets and props.
• Craigmillar Stories for Sharing A programme that encourages a fun and creative approach to literacy through storytelling for children aged 4-12 and parents/carers, enabling families to explore stories, books, reading and writing together.
• Family Literacy Groups A 'Feel Good Friday' session that is fun and relaxed where all the family can join in, with activities focused on enjoying stories, being creative and thinking about well-being.
• Creative Residencies Programme where authors, illustrators, poets and artists work with small groups of children to encourage creativity, inspire story making and support well-being.
• Express Yourself! A literacy project for children and young people aged 12-16 and adults that shares creative ways to make sense of the world, fostering connection and a sense of belonging; includes Young People's Groups and a Programme for Adults.
• Express Yourself! Young People A literacy programme for 12-16 year-olds that supports young people to create spaces and techniques to express their thoughts, views and feelings, with young people involved in directing and co-producing the programme.
• Express Yourself! Adults 16+ A programme exploring how to support adult literacy in the community, including building parents/carers' confidence and developing a Reader in Residence role.
• Craigmillar Book Festival An annual book festival (1998-2019, now transitioned into a year-long programme of events) celebrating reading, books and literacy with children, young people, parents and carers, featuring interactive sessions with authors, writers, storytellers, illustrators, poets and performers.
• Training Training programmes for families and community partners sharing research on child development and providing tools to build strong foundations for children's future learning, including Talking Together, Raising Children with Confidence, and Storytelling Workshops.
• Book Gifting A community book-gifting programme that starts from birth when health visitors gift a book at the baby's 10-day notification visit, with ongoing gifting at events, the local baby clinic, home visits and within the wider literacy programmes, including dual language books across 44+ languages.
• Talking Together A training programme exploring how to best support children's communication, discussing ways to strengthen relationships and promote emotional well-being, highlighting serve and return interactions and sharing books, rhymes and songs.
• Raising Children with Confidence A training programme that gives parents and carers the latest findings from evidence and research on what influences the development of emotional well-being.
• Storytelling Workshops Interactive workshops with the Storyteller in Residence exploring the importance and power of storytelling, developing storytelling skills, and sharing stories.

Quantifiable outcome

• 21 years of Book Festival celebrating literacy in the community (1998-2019)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Scottish Book TrustcoreOthersScottish Book Trust provides Live Literature funding supporting author and storytelling events.
• Castlebrae Community High SchoolcoreOthersHost location for Craigmillar Literacy Trust offices; school partnership for literacy programs and creative residencies.
• The Edinburgh BookshopminorOthersLocal bookshop supporter providing books and community support.
• Nairn's OatcakesminorOthersCorporate sponsor providing sponsorship for Craigmillar Books for Babies Book Bag.
• Health Visitors and Speech and Language TherapistscoreOthersHealthcare professionals who make referrals for Family Support at Home program and partner on early years literacy support.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Beanstalk: UK literacy charity recruiting volunteers to provide one-to-one reading support to children in schools, comparable in community-based volunteer model and family literacy focus.
• Scottish Book Trust: Scotland's national charity for reading and writing with overlapping book gifting, Live Literature author events, and family literacy programs. Listed as an actual CLT partner, making it the closest operational and mission-aligned peer.
• Dolly Parton's Imagination Library: International book gifting programme mailing free books to children from birth to age five. Highly comparable to Craigmillar Books for Babies in mission, delivery approach, and target demographic.
• Read for Good: UK children's literacy charity providing books and reading programmes to schools and communities, comparable in book gifting approach and disadvantaged-community targeting.
• Bookmark (Children's Charity): UK charity providing books and reading support to children in disadvantaged communities, with overlapping mission of book gifting, family literacy, and partnership-based delivery.

Broad incumbents

• National Literacy Trust: UK-wide literacy charity running early-years book gifting, Hubs programmes, and school partnerships. Operates at much greater scale with similar mission of improving literacy outcomes for disadvantaged children and families.
• The Reading Agency: UK charity running national reading programmes including Summer Reading Challenge and Quick Reads, with overlapping mission of engaging children and families in reading for pleasure.
• BookTrust: UK children's reading charity running nationwide book gifting programmes (Bookstart, Letterbox Club), directly comparable to CLT's Books for Babies model but operating at national scale.

Regional players

• Seven Stories: National Centre for Children's Books in Newcastle running creative literacy, author residencies, and family programmes. Comparable in author/storyteller-led creative residency model though primarily North East England based.

Others

• City of Edinburgh Council - Libraries Service: Local authority library service that is both a CLT delivery partner and adjacent public-sector literacy provider, supplying Rhymetimes, Storytimes, and outreach across Edinburgh.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CraigmillarLT
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCexIQrA9U5UC_oAWYorx9Jw
• Facebookfacebook.com/CraigmillarLiteracyTrust
• Instagraminstagram.com/craigmillarliteracytrust
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/craigmillarliteracytrust

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Craigmillar Literacy Trust