Q&A with our Middlesbrough Reads ambassador, Adele Parks
Bestselling author Adele Parks became our local ambassador in October 2019. We caught up with her to find out what she plans to do in her role over the next year.
For supporters
Our work with local people and businesses is key to the success of Middlesbrough Reads.
Over the years, we've worked with a wide range of partners - from James Cook University Hospital to support parents of premature babies, to Middlesbrough FC for book giveaways, and with Stagecoach to put our posters on local buses.
As a business or an individual, there are lots of ways you can support us.
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Middlesbrough has the greatest literacy need in the country
National Literacy Trust and Experian research found that of 533 constituencies in England, Middlesbrough is the constituency with the greatest literacy need.
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Over half of primary school leavers in Middlesbrough cannot read well
55% of disadvantaged pupils in Middlesbrough leave primary school with below average reading skills.
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We're closing the development gap
Our work has closed the gap in early years development levels. In 2013 Middlesbrough was 22.6 percentage points under the national average, and in 2019 it was just 8.6 percentage points away.
How you can help
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Become a Literacy Champion
Use your creativity to develop fun, literacy-focused activities to share with your community.Learn more -
Fundraise for us
Could you run a fundraising event in your local community to support our work in Middlesbrough? We have lots of tips and suggestions to help you get started.Learn more -
Donate
Donate to our work and help us give even more children the literacy skills they need to succeed in life.Learn more
Find out more
