Read Manchester
Read Manchester is a partnership between the National Literacy Trust and Manchester City Council to raise literacy levels and change the life stories of children, young people and adults across the city.
Working with schools and communities, local businesses and partner organisations, we share our love of stories and books with families to support them to develop the literacy skills needed to succeed in life. Read our newsletter to find out more about our current projects.
Take 10 to Read
Learn about our campaign to Take 10 minutes to read for your wellbeing on #WorldMentalHealthDay.
See Myself in Books
Help promote wider diversity in children's literature with these classroom resources based on ethnically diverse and neurodiverse book collections.
A Royal celebration
From Manchester to The Mall: Local volunteers celebrated by Her Majesty The Queen
''The highlight today for me was the talk given by Adele Parks. It was endearing, thoughtful and an inspiring speech based on what we all should be aspiring to do.''
Margarette, a Special Education Needs and Disability Manager at Manchester City Council, and National Literacy Trust Literacy Champion.
New 'transition read' by local author supported Manchester pupils starting high school
We helped children in Manchester get ready to start secondary school with an exciting new 'transition read' - Quiet Storm by local author and Read Manchester Literacy Champion, Kimberly Whittam.
Getting ready to start primary school
Children who started primary school in Manchester in September each received a free copy of Benjamin Zephaniah’s brilliant book, People Need People. Chatting and reading with your child helps to prepare them for the transition from nursery to Reception. We put together our top tips for sharing stories together, downloadable in 10 languages.
Meet Rachel, Read Manchester Literacy Champion
To mark National Volunteers’ Week in June, Literacy Champion Rachel Collier shared her experience of supporting her local community to fall in love with books.
Books and empathy skills: how we celebrated Empathy Day
Children and young people from Manchester primary schools learnt how to boost their empathy superpowers in celebration of Empathy Day on 6 June 2024.
Wythenshawe Park Story Trail
Take a magical stroll through Wythenshawe Park with our story trail resource.
News and successes
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We celebrated our fantastic team of Literacy Champions during Volunteers’ Week, which took place from 3 - 9 June, marking the amazing contributions that volunteers make to...Learn more about Read Manchester celebrates Literacy Champions during Volunteers’ Week.
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Manchester Libraries, Blue Peter and The Reading Agency have partnered on the new initiative, which supports Read Manchester’s aim to inspire a love of reading across the city.Learn more about Blue Peter Book Club Live to kick off at Manchester Central Library.
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Pupils from Manchester United Foundation’s partner primary schools celebrated reading and writing with a special event at Old Trafford with Read Manchester.Learn more about A.M. Dassu launches Kicked Out at Old Trafford with Manchester United Foundation and Read Manchester.
How to get involved...
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There are lots of things Manchester families can do to boost their children's literacy from home.Learn more
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We have lots of resources and support for schools, helping children reach the recommended literacy level for each stage of their education.Learn more
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Read Manchester counts on the support of local businesses to help improve literacy levels in the city.Learn more
