My annual literacy campaign Read to Succeed launches today and this year we’re hoping to hit the 20,000 book mark. Aiming to raise enough money to buy a new book for every Year 4 child in the constituency to take home for the school summer holidays, Read to Succeed has distributed over 17,500 books so far. Reading is so important, not just as an essential life skill but as a way to entertain, inform and escape.
As Year 4 is the age that children often begin to read more independently, this is the ideal age to encourage a love of reading. Last year we were also able to give a £200 voucher to every primary school to buy books for their school library.
Maria Higgins, headteacher at Townley Primary School in Christchurch, said: “Our children love to receive a book of their own, for some it might be the only book they own. After the summer holiday many of them enjoy returning to school to tell us about the book, having read it over the summer holiday. This year we were also able to benefit from the additional books for the school library which have been enjoyed by all of the classes as we have limited access to the town libraries being so far away.”
I’m immensely grateful to the local businesses, charities, organisations and individuals who donate and make such a difference to these children’s lives.
I hope they will be able to do so again this year. To donate please contact [email protected]