Thousands of extra letters have been written, social communication links made and literacy levels improved recently, thanks to Blake Envelopes’ various charity pledges.
Blake has forged links with The Postal Museum to support its Jolly Postman Learning Programme which aims to help improve the literacy attainment of some of the most deprived children in London. As part of this Blake has designed and donated over 3,000 free letter writing kits for each child enrolled in the programme, encouraging them to embrace their literacy skills in the magic of letter writing.
Since its launch in September 2016, the Jolly Postman Learning Programme has engaged 4, 376 children between the ages of 4 and 7 from 72 different primary schools across 14 boroughs of Greater London
Added to this, Blake lent its wholehearted support to the Big Letter Write, the month long initiative (which ran throughout October), instigated by charity Me To You Letters which encouraged people to group together and write letters to those suffering from cancer, many of which were then sent to patients in hospital.
The charity distributed free Big Letter Write kits, inside a Blake envelope, including everything from letter prompts, sample letters and stationery, to a handy guide on how to organise a Big Letter Write event.
“Having lost both my own parents to cancer I have the privilege of holding some of the letters they received from friends which must have been such an encouragement to them. We are glad we are able to help provide this experience for others too,” commented Tim, creative director of Blake.
Compared to “something that only exists on a screen only to be deleted with the click of a button, letters have a place in your home and heart, and holding them engages the senses, making for a richer, more meaningful experience,” believes Tim. “Unlike the millions of texts and emails that get sent and received every day, letters are very rarely misinterpreted. Taking much more time and thought to compose, the intent and voice within them are therefore stronger, and feelings and emotions can be expressed that are difficult to articulate face-to-face,” he adds.
Blake’s good work has extended outside of the UK too. As part of its mission of ‘Giving Hope Through Education’, it has been involved with the School In A Bag charity. This has recently involved Blake’s delivering learning equipment to 120 children from the Iringa region who live in very disadvantaged circumstances and extreme poverty.
Top: As part of its aim of ‘Giving Hope Through Education’ Blake Envelopes has supported a number of charity initiatives which include helping to improve literacy as well as encouraging social communication through letter writing.
