A new drive is being launched this autumn to encourage families in Liverpool to read together.
Fall into Reading is a new city council initiative to celebrate and stimulate reading habits among families who live in the north of the city.
Recent research showed that children who were read to less than once a week at the age of five had, by the time they were seven, a reading level half a year behind those who had been read to daily.
The scheme will be launched on Saturday (8 November) in Norris Green Library where residents are invited to come along to discover more about great books to read with different age groups as well as hear some readings from local authors including Fiona Campbell who will read a passage from her book Arthur and the Elephant at 12.30pm.
There will also be a selection of fun activities on offer including face painting, and there will also be the opportunity to find out about Liverpool’s City of Readers campaign, Read Liverpool and courses on offer via the Adult Learning Service. Refreshments will also be available.
The day runs from 12.30pm to 2pm and Councillor Lana Orr and Councillor Nick Small will take part.
Councillor Orr, who is the Mayoral Lead for Reading Performance, said: “It’s essential never to underestimate the importance of reading to children. Not only does it improve their literacy levels but it also fires up their imagination and unleashes their creativity.
“However, we understand that sometimes adults aren’t all that confident in their own reading abilities, so we want to do as much as we can to support and encourage them to help them share this valuable skill with their loved ones.
“We hope as many people as possible come along to the library on Saturday for an event which is both fun and educational. It will be a great opportunity for residents to find out all the different ways they can tap into the world of books in Liverpool and hopefully kick-start an exciting new reading habit with their family.”
Nick Small, Cabinet Member for Employment and Skills, said: “Liverpool’s Adult Learning Service offers a range of courses to help people develop skills and assist them in to work – so it’s great that we can work in partnership with the launch of Fall into Reading to promote the courses to as many people as possible.
“We do as much as we can to help residents hone skills and find employment and Saturday’s event will be a good opportunity to encourage people to sign-up for a course and hopefully make a positive difference to their lives.”
Fall into Reading is part of City of Readers which is a project which aims to create a new generation of readers and fulfil the Mayor’s pledge to improve education standards and ensure that no child, if able, leaves primary school unable to read. More information can be found at www.cityofreaders.org
Emma Melling, Project Manager of City of Readers said: “Fall into Reading will allow many families and friends to come together and to share wonderful reading experiences. Providing people with opportunities to read, and develop a love of reading is our passion, so this initiative is hugely important to us and we are really excited to get things started on Saturday.”
