More than 1,000 children in Peterborough are to receive books as part of a mission to break down barriers around reading.
The National Literacy Trust and World Book Day® will deliver copies of the £1 World Book Day books to school children and community organisations across the city.
Research shows that children’s reading for enjoyment levels are at their lowest in almost two decades, and over half of children say they are not reading for fun in their free time.
On March 6, the National Literacy Trust in Peterborough teamed up with the Peterborough United Foundation to celebrate World Book Day and inspire a love of reading for hundreds of the city’s children.
Local schools were invited to take part in a treasure hunt throughout the city, visiting important local landmarks – from Cathedral Square to the Weston Homes Stadium, including the town hall, the Lido and the Key Theatre – to solve clues and collect the 10 letters that spell out where their World Book Day books are waiting for them.
The National Literacy Trust and World Book Day worked together to deliver more than 18,000 free copies of the £1 World Book Day books directly to children in some of the most disadvantaged communities across the UK.
The charities work with schools, foodbanks, libraries, football clubs and other local community organisations to deliver not just books, but also exciting World Book Day activities to families who may be struggling with literacy or who are facing barriers in accessing books and resources to support reading for pleasure.
Becky Marrs, manager for the National Literacy Trust in Peterborough, said: “We’re bringing World Book Day out of the classroom and into Peterborough city centre.
"We want to make reading and choosing your own book an exciting and engaging event for all children.
"Families facing high levels of disadvantage are less likely to engage with reading and literacy and don’t get the same opportunities to attend events or have new books at home, and this is one of our favourite days of the year to work to change that, making the magic of stories accessible for everyone.”
Gavin Slater, school sports manager at the Peterborough United Foundation, said: “We are delighted to work with the National Literacy Trust again for this year’s World Book Day.
"We were keen to support pupils in the city get their book in an exciting way and they’ve also earned additional books for their school libraries – and met club mascot, Peter Burrow, at the Weston Homes Stadium in the process.
"One of our key objectives within the Peterborough United Foundation is to help raise reading and educational attainment levels in the city and today’s event, along with our school sessions through the Premier League Primary Stars programme, offers primary school children encouragement to succeed.”
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