West Brom Building Society celebrates the launch of its new community room at its Cape Hill branch in West Bromwich, marking the occasion with a joint event alongside the National Literacy Trust as part of its National Year of Reading celebrations.

The free-to-use space has been created to give local groups, organisations and residents a welcoming place to meet, connect and host activities, supporting the Society’s ongoing commitment to bringing communities together in its heartlands.

The official launch event will bring together partners and local organisations, with the National Literacy Trust hosting a special lunch in the space for its Literacy Champion volunteers, who inspire the people around them to engage with reading, writing, speaking and listening.

The National Literacy Trust’s latest evaluation shows that these Literacy Champions are making a real difference in the communities that they support. They help to increase access to books and support literacy among children, young people, and adults. Benefits from volunteering are also recorded, with 82% of Literacy Champions saying they feel a stronger sense of connection with their communities.

The event will also feature a ribbon cutting ceremony, attended by Margaret Sutton, the Mayor of Sandwell.

Pam Uppal, Senior Branch Manager at West Brom Building Society’s Cape Hill branch, said: “We’re incredibly pleased to open our community room here at Cape Hill and to welcome so many fantastic organisations through our doors for the launch. These spaces are all about creating opportunities for people to come together, share ideas and build stronger local connections. It’s particularly special to partner with the National Literacy Trust for this event, recognising the vital role literacy plays in supporting individuals and families across our communities.”

Aman Dhanda, Manager for the National Literacy Trust in Black Country, said: “Working with Literacy Champions and local partners is key to delivering fun, inclusive and impactful initiatives that respond directly to literacy needs across the Black Country. Community spaces within familiar and trusted organisations create valuable opportunities for connection and collaboration. Whether that’s gifting a child their very first book, building a community bookshelf to encourage story sharing, or helping grow people’s confidence in their own literacy skills, together we are helping to change life stories.”

The Cape Hill community room builds on the success of similar spaces opened across the Society’s branch network last year, with a total of six branches now offering community spaces.

All rooms are available free of charge for local groups, clubs and societies to host meetings, activities and events.

The National Year of Reading 2026 is a Department for Education initiative, in collaboration with the National Literacy Trust, that aims to tackle the steep decline in reading enjoyment amongst children, young people and adults across the UK. As part of this work in Sandwell, the National Literacy Trust has partnered with a number of organisations, including family hubs, the Early Years team, libraries, NHS Speech and Language therapy teams, health visiting services and a range of other vital community groups.