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Take 10 to Read

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Escape into a book and #Take10toRead

Life is busy and it isn’t always easy to find time for yourself.

Reading can help you relax, boost your mood and escape elsewhere – and it doesn’t have to be a book. It could be the post-match analysis of Saturday’s football game, an interview with your favourite actor, DIY hacks or even recipes. Reading something that interests you can transport you away from day-to-day life.

That’s why, on Thursday 10 October at 10am we are calling on the nation to #Take10ToRead with us in support of World Mental Health Day.

Take 10 is a campaign to promote the wellbeing benefits of reading. Try it for 10 minutes today and see where it takes you.

Get involved!

  • Support your pupils and students to Take 10, inspiring them to keep reading every day at school and at home.
    Learn more
  • Support your staff, colleagues their families and your community to Take 10 every day to boost their mood.
    Learn more
  • Sharing a book with a child is fun. It's a time for affection, laughing and talking together. And it can also give children a head start in life and help them become lifelong readers.
    Learn more

Our research

Our latest research which explores children and young people's reading in 2023 shows the power of reading to boost our mental health and wellbeing. 3 in 5 children and young people aged 5 to 18 said that they read because it relaxed them, and nearly 1 in 2 read because it made them feel happy.

Reading can help everyone and is a great way to:

  • Relax, unwind and boost your mood

  • Escape from the pressures of life and reduce stress levels

  • Improve memory and concentration

Previous Take 10 moments

The National Literacy Trust celebrates #Take10ToRead each year to inspire people, young and old, to read and feel the benefits to their mental health and wellbeing. Thousands of people across the UK drop everything and read together for 10 minutes.

Our partners