The Fair Start team
Founder
david@fairstart.charityLooking for something that really made a difference, David went back to his junior school, St Richard's CE, and worked with the Head, Lauren, to help build their library. Seeing the impact, he set out to take what they'd learned and scale it — and Fair Start was formed. Before retiring, David ran MGH Technology Solutions, a consultancy helping technology companies improve their reverse logistics supply chains.
Treasurer and Trustee
carmen@fairstart.charityCarmen spent 28 years in state primary schools, including 14 as Headteacher in an area of high economic deprivation, alongside several years in private sector management. Years of working to close the attainment gap convinced her that access to books — and being read with regularly — are essential childhood experiences. She is a member of the School Food Alliance, championing high quality, nutritious food for all school children.
Trustee — Logistics and collections
steph@fairstart.charityStephanie spent many years as a Corporate HR Director across both commercial and not-for-profit sectors, with a particular focus on people development and creating opportunity for underrepresented groups. Having grown up in an area of social deprivation and benefited personally from education, she now volunteers in the NHS and supports her local primary school — running sports clubs, fundraising, and helping deliver a sustainable outdoor educational space.
Trustee — Partnerships and liaison
ben@fairstart.charityBen is an experienced trustee, having chaired her local primary school trust for ten years. She understands the vital role early years and primary education play in a child's development, and the growing challenges schools face in delivering better outcomes with shrinking resources. She is particularly passionate about the lifelong benefits of reading and the confidence it builds.
FAQs
All donated money goes directly to setting up one of our current projects. If you'd like to donate towards a specific project you can say so, and we'll keep you updated on progress — including invitations to the library opening and updates as we hit major milestones.
Running a successful library takes ongoing work — the initial excitement has to be sustained. As we gain experience with every project we share best practice across schools, and because every library uses the same system we can help schools get the most from its reporting, keep the shelves stocked with books children actually want to read, and run initiatives that keep everyone reading.
In our first year we aim to complete three more libraries, then at least four a year after that. Our long-term aim is for every primary school in the South East to have a well-functioning lending library. Once we achieve that, we'll look at where else we can take the model — a mobile library, or other areas of need such as young offenders' institutions.