Dr Brian Iddon MP Books into Summer Reading Challenge
24th July 2007
Dr Brian Iddon MP is backing the Big Wild Read, a campaign to get children along to libraries and encourage them to keep reading during the long summer holidays.
Dr Iddon last week joined more than 100 colleagues at a reception held by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Libraries in the House of Commons. The campaign, organised by the Reading Agency aims to encourage children to visit their local libraries during the summer holiday period so they do not lose any reading skills during the break from school. To support this initiative Bolton South East MP, Brian Iddon will be donating books, courtesy of The Reading Agency’s publishing partners, to a local library.
Dr Iddon said,
“I fully support this campaign, and my local library, and am delighted to be donating books to support their excellent work. Our libraries and librarians help children get the reading habit early and are a great place to spend time and learn to enjoy books.
While children are having a great time, they are also reinforcing their reading skills. Holidays are a good time to enjoy reading for all of us, and I urge everyone to go along to one of our fabulous libraries to pick up a book this summer.”
Research from the Reading Agency showed that children can take a step back in their reading during the summer holidays, and that by visiting libraries and reading regularly reading levels could improve before children return to school in September.
Every year, more and more children take part in the Summer Reading Challenge, undertaken in partnership with public libraries and supported by children’s publishers. This summer a staggering 700 000 children are expected to take part, and an estimated 16 million books will be borrowed.
Dr Brian Iddon MP pictured here with some books for the local library
2. The Summer Reading Challenge is in its ninth year and has grown successively since the start. It encourages children to read for pleasure during the long school holiday, and is aimed at children aged 4-11. See its website, http://www.readingagency.org.uk/projects/children/reading_challenge.html
3. For more details about the Summer Reading Challenge please contact Andrea Reece of The Reading Agency on 020 8889 1292
4. For further information, please contact Brian Iddon's Westminster office on 0207 219 2096