The National Literacy Trust in Bradford is working with Bradford City of Culture 2025 to call on children in Bradford to pick up a pen and give writing a go with the Share Your Story campaign.
Writing for pleasure rates amongst children and young people in Yorkshire and the Humber are at an all-time low with less than 1 in 3 enjoying writing in their free time.
When children enjoy writing in their free time, they write more often, helping to build vital writing skills which brings wider benefits for their creativity, confidence and wellbeing.
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Benefits of writing for pleasure
National Literacy Trust writing research shows that children and young people who write in their free time do so to:
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Express themselves
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Build creativity
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Support their wellbeing
Get involved
Are you a family living in Bradford? Whether you're bouncing through Bowling or marching home to Manningham, we want you to get involved.
Share Your Story is a series of family-friendly events and activities to try at home that will inspire both the avid and reluctant writers within your family. Try your hand at poetry, creative storytelling, comics or rap and share your story on our Bradford map.
Explore below to find out how you can take part.
Find an event near you
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Bradford 2025 and the National Literacy Trust in Bradford are going on tour this year – and we want Wibsey to Share Your Story!What's on
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Bradford 2025 and the National Literacy Trust in Bradford are going on tour this year – and we want Bowling to Share Your Story!What's on
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Bradford 2025 and the National Literacy Trust in Bradford are going on tour this year – and we want Keighley to Share Your Story!What's on
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Bradford 2025 and the National Literacy Trust in Bradford are going on tour this year – and we want Manningham to Share Your Story!What's on
Share your story with us
Could you be a poet, rapper, author, or comic book creator? Do you write in Punjabi, Romanian, English, French, Urdu, or Arabic?
Whatever language you use and whatever form it may take, you have a story worth sharing.
Explore the resource below to discover how you can share your story for Bradford 2025 and feature on the Share Your Story map.

Do you have a different story to tell?
You don’t have to use our resource to send your story to us. Let your imagination run wild and find your own way to share your story.
Parents, whether your child uses our writing resource or not, you can submit their story to us by emailing it to bradford@literacytrust.org.uk.
Please include:
- your child's age,
- your contact details,
- your neighbourhood (e.g. Wibsey)
- and of course, their writing submission.