Foster carers praise Dolly Parton's book scheme
ReutersFoster carers have shared how Dolly Parton's free book scheme has helped children.
The country singer, who died on Tuesday, established her Imagination Library in 1995 in Tennessee to provide books from birth to age five, and it was then launched in the UK in 2007.
Barbara Hubbard, from Berwick, Northumberland, has been a carer for more than 10 years and said the scheme was "just amazing".
"Whenever I've had under-fives, I've had one of the Dolly Parton books arrive through my letterbox each month for that child," the 62-year-old told BBC Radio Newcastle.
"These books are for children to keep and we've had so many favourites.
"A lot of these children have speech problems and it's helped with their literacy.
"The little girl I've got now has special needs and yet she reads age-appropriately thanks to being in a home with lots of books."
Northumberland County CouncilDolly Parton's Imagination Library has provided free books to millions of children in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and Republic of Ireland.
The initiative gives a book a month to children under five, with more than 300 million gifted worldwide.
In the UK alone, more than seven million books have been donated by the Imagination Library.
The principal of the Westmorland and Furness Virtual School in Cumbria, Sarah Roscoe-Campbell, has recently started distributing the books.
She told BBC Radio Cumbria: "Dolly's an international megastar who's from Tennessee in the USA, yet she has an impact on children and their reading here in Cumbria.
"It's quite something.
"We've had lots of positive feedback from foster carers around how they love to receive the books because it's actually about the connection and the relationship for the carer and the child."
Northumberland County CouncilAngela Morrison has also used the scheme during her five years as a foster carer.
She said: "Whenever I go out, I always pack the books in my bag.
"It's amazing how advanced some of the children have been with their speech when they've left us and I think a lot of that is down to reading the books."
In Northumberland, the county council operates the scheme and automatically sends books out to all eligible foster carers.
Social worker Leigh Finlay said the books had been "transformational" for some children in care.
"A lot of children who come into care haven't had that experience of sitting down and looking at a book," she said.
"In most arrangements, young children will move on from foster care, either to adoption or to return home with their parents, and their books will go with them."
