Voices is the Dorset Echo's weekly youth page - written for young people by young people.

Reading is a valuable skill that has been proven to advance many essential skills such as communication.

Your vocabulary, spelling and grammatical awareness improves, just to name a few skills that reading enhances. This is why it is crucial that children read regularly and continue this hobby into their adulthood.

Thankfully, the building company McCarthy and Stone has supported this and helped to improve the linguistic capabilities of children by generously donating £15,000 to the Coram Beanstalk charity.

This charity aims to support three to 13-year-olds with their reading ability and confidence by recruiting one-to-one reading support volunteers.

John Tonkiss, chief executive officer at McCarthy and Stone has passionately said: "Our initial donation really is just the start. The choice to work with the charity not only gives our staff and customers the opportunity to make a difference by raising vital funds, it also opens up the possibility of participating in the rewarding act of volunteering as a reading helper."

This support effectively advances children’s education, something vital in life, and it should continue to ensure a great outcome.

This charity enables children to enjoy their reading interests, also improving their phonetic awareness and creativity, which is beneficial in various subject areas.

By James Sullivan