Thousands of children across Staffordshire have already signed up to this year’s Summer Reading Challenge, with families taking part in a packed programme of activities at libraries.
Since the challenge launched on 4 July, more than 7,800 children have signed up.
Run by Staffordshire County Council’s Library Service, the free challenge encourages children to keep reading throughout the school holidays. This year’s musical-themed challenge, ‘Read to the Beat’, is proving popular with young readers, who are exploring stories, audiobooks, eBooks and non-fiction titles while collecting rewards along the way.
Hayley Coles, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Communities and Culture at Staffordshire County Council met up with children at Tamworth library.
Hayley said:
"It's fantastic to see so many children signed up for this year's Summer Reading Challenge.
“The Summer Reading Challenge is a great way to keep children engaged with books during the summer holidays while having fun at the same time. Alongside the challenge itself, our libraries are hosting an excellent range of events and activities that give families even more reasons to visit their local library this summer.
“There's still plenty of time to get involved, and I would encourage any family that hasn't yet signed up to visit their local library and join the challenge. And, a huge well done if you’ve already completed the challenge.”
The challenge runs until Monday 14 September and is being supported by a series of fun activities taking place in libraries.
The initiative is delivered by The Reading Agency and forms part of the National Year of Reading celebrations. Children can register for free at any Staffordshire library.
