Partners and Patrons
We wouldn't have been able to get this far alone - we're hugely grateful to a number of different individuals and organisations who have helped and supported us along the way, not to mention the schools, teachers, pupils and families who have got involved.
Our Patrons
Natasha Farrant
Natasha won the inaugural Spark! Book Award in our oldest age category for her brilliant book 'Voyage of the Sparrowhawk'. She became our first ever patron shortly afterwards, in August 2021.
"I am so proud to be Spark! Book Awards' first Patron. What an exciting prize this is - fun but professional, with an impressive reach and enthusiastic engagement from teacher and pupils alike. I hope that it will grow and grow, and continue to put books into the hands of children of all backgrounds, making lifetime readers of them all!"
Learn more about Natasha on her website,
Jenny Pearson
Jenny has been shortlisted twice - once in our inaugural year for her book 'The Super Miraculous Journey of Freddie Yates' and again with 'The Underpants of Chaos' two years later.
She became our second patron in July 2022 and is also credited with the first use of the term 'Sparky Kids'.
Learn more about Jenny on her website.
Sam Copeland
Sam has also been shortlisted for our awards twice, first with 'Uma and the Answer to Absolutely Everything' in 2021-22 and then and again with 'The Underpants of Chaos' the following year.
He became our third patron in August 2023.
Learn more about Sam on his website.
Our Partners
The Open University, Reading for Pleasure
The OU RfP team joined us in 2022, with the shared goal that all children enjoy reading. They've provided a wealth of knowledge and experience and enabled us to expand our reach into more schools and engage more pupils nationally.
Find out more at: https://ourfp.org/
Bookmark
Sharing a similar vision for every child to read, we linked up with Bookmark in 2022. Participation in our awards (including extra books) is included as part of their wider reading support packages for schools.
Find out more at: https://www.bookmarkreading.org/
Achieving for Children
Achieving for Children provide children's services for Kingston and Richmond. The close links they have with local schools were a key factor in the founding and success of our awards back in 2020.
Find out more at: https://www.achievingforchildren.org.uk/
Coombe Hill Junior School
Coombe Hill Junior School is a wonderful school in Kingston upon Thames and has provided a huge level of support for the awards since the start. We can't thank them enough!
Find out more at: https://www.coombehilljuniors.com/
Clare Spencer Design
Clare Spencer is a brilliant graphic designer who produces our logos, Buzz magazines and much, much more.
Find out more at: https://www.clarespencerdesign.co.uk/