Archived decisions

Hampshire County Council

Cabinet Item 9

25 February 2008

National Year of Reading

Report of the Director of Recreation and Heritage

Contact: Mary Franklin, (01962) 826682 e-mail:  [email protected]

1. Introduction

1.1 The aim of the National Year of Reading is to create a national focus of opportunities and activities that can be locally delivered. This is so that children, families and adult learners understand the benefits that reading for pleasure and for purpose can bring to change their lives for the better, now and in the future.

1.2 This national campaign helps to deliver Hampshire County Council's corporate objective of Maximising Wellbeing as people, by becoming more literate, have a better sense of well being, are better able to achieve their potential and more likely to feel part of their local community.

2. Recommendation

    Hampshire County Council endorses the aims of the National Year of Reading and supports it with a wide range of activities, with particular emphasis on encouraging reading amongst boys, family groups and the disadvantaged.

3. Background

3.1 The last National Year of Reading was in 1998. Since then there have been some significant changes in publishing and access to reading. Many writers now have their own websites and books can be purchased online often at reduced prices. The media has taken an interest in books and reading; for example, the Harry Potter phenomenon and the Richard and Judy book club. There have also been shifts in social reading with the growth of reading groups and mass reading campaigns.

3.2 Two national organisations - the National Literacy Trust (NLT) and the Reading Agency (RA) will manage the National Year of Reading on behalf of the Department for Children, Schools and Families. The emphasis will be on reading opening doors to new adventures, new experiences and new possibilities and to help build a more skilled national workforce. The campaign will run from April - December 2008.

3.3 The NLT and RA together with key organisations committed to the promotion and encouragement of reading are seeking commitment from local authorities, the education sector and the corporate and business sectors to ensure that the national campaign reaches the widest possible audience. The national headline campaigns will involve all sections of the media.

4. The National Year of Reading in Hampshire

4.1 Hampshire Library Service will lead the National Year of Reading in Hampshire with particular emphasis, to;

    · Encourage more people to read more

    · Demonstrate the importance of literacy skills

    · Encourage boys to feel more enthusiastic about reading using Reading Champions in the sporting world

    · Encourage and enable young parents, particularly fathers, to understand the importance of reading, especially with children with events aimed at families and initiatives such as Dads and Lads reading groups

    · Encourage adult literacy

4.2 The promotion of reading and adult literacy during the National Year of Reading will help to build more literate communities in Hampshire and bring recognition to Hampshire as a Reading Authority. Hampshire County Council staff from all departments will be encouraged to take part in the campaign and all members of the community, young and old and all cultures will be encouraged to participate in reading.

4.3 Planning and Events in Hampshire County Council

4.3.1 The National Year of Reading will be a major feature on Hantsweb with additional information and support for Members and staff on Hantsnet so that the people of Hampshire, Members and staff know that Hampshire County Council, as an employer, take reading and literacy seriously.

4.3.2 The intention is to develop and extend the programme of reading events and activities that is already being done in the authority, which means that the National Year of Reading will not be costly but it will need the commitment of Hampshire County Council as an organisation.

4.3.3 A National Year of Reading Co-ordinator has been appointed - Angela Hicken - who works as the Literature Development Officer in Recreation and Heritage. She will be working with departmental representatives across the County Council to develop a programme of events and activities throughout the year.

4.3.4 Across Hampshire there will be:-

    · Hampshire Poet competition - the winner will be selected in March and will receive four paid commissions to commemorate local projects and activities over 2008.

    · Hampshire Big Read - will encourage people to read the same book and provide reviews to be published on the web to share their enjoyment and experience of reading.

    · Book Crossing - books are left for people to pick up and read in public spaces across the county, for example, in our country parks, on footpath stiles or on the train. The books can be registered on the Book Crossing website and tracked, as long as the person finding the book goes on the website too.

    · Book Swaps - as part of the BBC Raw Campaign, 10,000 collections of books nationwide are being deposited in businesses and public places, for example, Winchester Railway Station

    · A writing competition for children under 12 - the best dozen short stories will be published later in the year. Sponsorship is being sought for this promotion.

    · Pop-up libraries - taking the library out into the community - like Street Doctor on the BBC.

    · Library membership drive - part of the national campaign. In the Hart and Rushmoor area, people who have not used their library card for more than a year are being targeted to encourage them to start using the library again. They will be monitored against a control group to see what impact the campaign has had

    · More Reading Groups will be set up, for example, for Visually Impaired People (VIPs). There will be an event at Netley Country Park for existing VIP reading groups, featuring Philip Hoare's book `Spike Island' which is about the hospital that used to be on the site.

    · Hampshire County Council staff will be encouraged to become Reading Volunteers -in schools, in old people's homes and in hospitals in the way they are encouraged to be Governors

    · Summer Reading Challenge for children - this popular annual promotion gets children reading during the summer holidays helping to maintain literacy levels and provide enjoyment at the same time

    · Share a Book at Bedtime - will encourage parents to read to their children as part of our countywide focus on families

    · Book Ahead - linked to a national project through which Hampshire has been awarded by government £86,000 to buy books to loan to Early Years settings e.g. playgroups.

    · The Library service will work with schools and other agencies to extend the work with young parents with low literacy

    · Wessex Children's Book Festival 2008 - in November this popular festival will provide children and adults an opportunity to see and hear some popular authors and writers.

    · Reading Champions - a national campaign to get role models in the local community e.g. sports personalities or county councillors to recommend reading.

    · Extreme Reading : get caught reading - whether on one of Hampshire County Council's Rights of Way, the climbing wall at Calshot, or the Spinnaker Tower - this will be a fun way to promote and encourage reading.

5. Conclusion

5.1 The National Year of Reading will change lives and communities by inspiring and challenging the nation to get reading.

5.2 Basic Skills Agency statistics are that 21% of Hampshire adults (aged 16-60) have below average literacy skills. This means they may have difficulty with basic life skills such as reading a medicine bottle, a train timetable or paying bills. While Hampshire is better than the national average for England at 24%, two districts in the county, Gosport and Havant, have higher than the national proportion of people with poor basic literacy skills. The same is true for the unitary authorities of Southampton and Portsmouth.

5.3 If, at every appropriate contact that Hampshire County Council has with its customers, reading can be encouraged and the benefits of reading can be explained, then there will be an impact on literacy skills.

5.4 It will be important to assess the effect that the National Year of Reading has had in this authority and to evaluate the impact of any events and promotions accomplished in the year. The key outcome of all this hard work will be to ensure that the work is sustained in subsequent years to continue to create more literate communities in Hampshire.

LINK TO CORPORATE STRATEGY

                  Yes No

Hampshire safer and more secure for all

Maximising well-being _

Enhancing our quality of place

Section 100 D - Local Government Act 1972 - Background Documents

The following documents disclose facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and have been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.

NB the list excludes:

    1. Published works

    2. Documents which disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the act.

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