The author Tom Percival was announced as the winner of the Ruth Rendell Award for Services to Literacy at last night’s ALCS Annual Awards ceremony at the Goldsmiths’ Centre in London.

Tom was nominated for his work on both a national and local level, helping to support literacy and reading for pleasure among children in disadvantaged communities. Tom’s 2024 book, The Wrong Shoes, highlights the levels of inequality in the UK today, and £1 of the sale of every hardback copy was donated to the National Literacy Trust to support the charity’s work in local communities with the highest literacy needs.

On winning the prize, Tom said: “Literacy and reading can change lives because it changed mine. I didn’t have an easy childhood and books were a lot of things for me. They were a comfort, an education, an escape. To my mind, the most important people are those who connect the right book with the right readers. That’s where it all comes from, so I would like to dedicate the award to all the librarians and school librarians who help facilitate everyone’s reading journey, whether you’re a child or an adult.”

Judge Di Redmond praised Tom for his “Robin Hood talent for directing support to those who need it most, working with his publisher to gift 15,000 books to National Literacy Trust communities around the UK as well as donating his appearance fee to local food banks when promoting his latest book.”

The award was launched in 2016 by ALCS and the National Literacy Trust in honour of the best-selling crime author and literacy advocate Ruth Rendell, who passed away in 2015. Previous winners include Andy McNab and Cressida Cowell. Dapo Adeola and Nigel Lungenmuss-Ward were last year’s joint winners.

The shortlist also included Naomi Jones, Jeffrey Boakye, Mel Taylor-Bessent, Hannah Gold, Sharna Jackson, and Alex Wharton.

ALCS Chief Executive Barbara Hayes said: “All of those shortlisted have gone above and beyond in their efforts to inspire a love of reading and being able to celebrate all of them as part of the ALCS Annual Awards is an honour. What Tom has been able to achieve has been truly outstanding and his commitment to this mission is highly commendable.”