Donnington Doorstep is located in the top 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England, although it is adjacent to some of Oxford’s least deprived areas. Our community experiences high levels of worklessness, poverty and debt. These challenges are strongly associated with lower language development and fewer opportunities for reading at home. Families need ‘third spaces’ to relax and interact and read together. Children, particularly those with SEND, need quiet breaks and access to sensory play.

Donnington Doorstep is an independent family centre founded by local parents 41 years ago and beloved by the community. We provide a comfortable, safe, judgement-free home from home for children, young people and families. By upgrading our library and play spaces we can improve opportunities for enrichment, parent-child attachment and access to early childhood literacy and language development. By ensuring our library is welcoming to children with SEND we can provide dedicated play sessions.