World Book Day was celebrated across the generations at Bradley Stoke Library today as pre-schoolers and their parents, students from Bradley Stoke Community School, library & leisure centre staff and residents from the nearby Brook Court retirement apartments gathered for a special reading session.
The event was opened with a short address by Cllr Howard Gawler, Chair of South Gloucestershire Council, who stressed the important role books had played in his formative years.
Pre-school children were read passages from a Kipper the Dog book before being treated to a visit from a giant-sized version of the warm-hearted canine.
On World Book Day, the South Gloucestershire Library Service challenges everyone to take five minutes out of their day to read and to recommend a book to a friend, family member or someone at work.
The event also marked the launch of the Time 4 Reading campaign, featuring a year of events across South Gloucestershire which aim to get everyone reading – from pre-school children to older adults. The project will provide a range of exciting activities, programmes and partnerships designed to improve literacy.
Award winning author Nathan Filer, winner of the prestigious Costa Book Award, is supporting South Gloucestershire Council’s campaign to get everyone reading. He said:
“As a child, reading didn’t come easily to me, and this turned me away from books for a long time. Today my shelves are full and books are a huge part of my life. I find something a bit miraculous about them – these perfectly portable, no-batteries-required objects that we can pick up for free in our local library, and that might just change the way we think about something forever.”
“South Gloucestershire Council’s campaign to encourage and support people of all ages to read for just a short while each day, and to share the books they love, is a wonderful initiative. It will truly enrich people’s lives.”
Cllr Gawler added:
“Good literacy skills are key to success throughout life including relationships, education and employment. We know that young children who enjoy reading independently will have had the door opened to new discoveries and wide interests, to knowledge, creativity, and confidence. Reading is the critical route to other subjects as well as a provider of wider opportunities for giving more and getting more from life and work. Research has also shown that keeping mentally active by reading books helps protect the brain in old age, so reading is essential to all aspects of life.”
For more information, visit www.southglos.gov.uk/
More photos from the event can be viewed on PicasaWeb and Facebook.
