Supporting children’s reading campaign

BRETTS TRANSPORT LENDS WEIGHT TO CHILDREN’S READING CAMPAIGN FOR NINTH CONSECUTIVE YEAR

 

Guyhirn-based Bretts Transport has once again thrown its weight behind a regional campaign which aims to steer schoolchildren on the road to a successful and rewarding future.

This is the ninth consecutive year that Read to Succeed is taking place in North East Cambridgeshire. The scheme is part of The Reading Agency’s Summer Reading Challenge which aims to encourage four to 11-year-olds to read at least six library books over the summer holidays.

Spearheaded by Steve Barclay MP, Read to Succeed aims to provide the first of the six books and specifically targets Year 4 pupils in the region.

Bretts has supported Read To Succeed since its launch and has this year donated £200 towards the cost of books.

Learning to read also helps children in other areas of their school work and can be an indicator of their success not only throughout their school career but right through to further education, higher education and employment.

Since its launch Read To Succeed has resulted in more than 15,000 new books being delivered to children across North East Cambridgeshire.

Simon Brett, Managing Director of Bretts, said:

“Read to Succeed is a fantastic campaign which every year benefits hundreds of children in the area who may not otherwise have access to a book. As well as helping children in the classroom books can be a fantastic way to nourish their imagination and transport them to another world, as well as helping them to build their vocabulary and raise their emotional awareness. It really is a win-win when children can be encouraged to pick up a book. The benefits of reading for children are lifelong.”

A survey by the National Literacy Trust (NLT) among 64,066 found that 43.4 per cent of eight to 18-year-olds enjoyed reading for pleasure in their free time – the lowest number since the NLT first asked the question in 2005.

Fewer than three in 10 said they read on a daily basis.

Just over half (52.9 per cent) said they had read with their families while almost one in five (19.9 per cent) had read with their families.