MP helps to launch primary school reading campaign

The campaign from The Reading Agency encourages all primary school children to take part in the UK’s largest reading for pleasure promotion while helping libraries set a Guinness World RecordsTM title at the same time.

Every year there is a new theme and this year the Summer Reading Challenge has teamed up with Guinness World Records - the global authority in record-breaking achievements and publisher of the annual Guinness World Records™ book – to create Record Breakers.

Children sign up at the library and receive a special poster, and as they borrow and read library books over the summer, children collect stickers to complete their poster and discover fascinating facts about record breakers as they go

Justin Tomlinson MP said: “I hope parents, grandparents and carers in North Swindon will take their children to the library over the summer to pledge their support for children’s reading and sign up for the Summer Reading Challenge. It’s free, inclusive and makes reading fun - a vital ingredient in building literacy. Last year 3578 children in Swindon took part in the Challenge. I hope we can increase that number this year, show local libraries what a valuable asset they are to us and our community and help set a world record at the same time.”

The Summer Reading Challenge is a unique partnership between The Reading Agency and public libraries across the UK and got 810,000 children reading in the summer holidays in 2014.

The Reading Agency is calling on people of all ages, across the country to pledge to use their local library over the summer and help libraries set a Guinness World RecordsTM title.

Research shows that reading for pleasure is vital for children’s life chances, and that children who use libraries are twice as likely to be above average readers because it builds confidence and independent reading, while preventing the dip in children’s literacy levels during the long break from school.