The National Literacy Trust has launched a 10-year campaign to empower children and families in Salford with the literacy skills they need to get the most out of life.
The National Literacy Trust in Salford, delivered in partnership with Salford City Council, aims to encourage more children and young people to discover a love of reading. The charity’s research credits this with boosting reading skills, academic attainment, confidence and mental wellbeing. Yet just 2 in 5 (41.7%) children in the North West say they enjoy reading in their free time – the lowest level recorded in almost 20 years.
While there is a link between reading for enjoyment and literacy levels, there is also an intrinsic link between low literacy and poverty. The latest Indices of Multiple Deprivation indicate that Salford is one of the most deprived local areas in the country.
This connection is backed up by Government data which revealed that last year, over a third (36.7%) of children in Salford started primary school without the literacy skills they need to thrive, compared with 3 in 10 (31.2%) children nationally. This trend of low literacy skills was evident at each key transition point in education – from primary to secondary school and beyond.
In an effort to turn the dial, The National Literacy Trust in Salford invited Emily Coxhead, author, illustrator, and founder of The Happy Newspaper, to launch the campaign. She led an event for three local primary schools inspired by her new book Happy Days: 365 Facts to Brighten Every Day Of The Year (Walker Books).
Walker Books kindly supported the launch with 1,000 copies of Emily's new book, to be shared with every primary school in the city. The National Literacy Trust in Salford will also be using Happy Days throughout its work in the community to encourage all local children to share their favourite facts from the book, and from their own research around the subjects most important to them.
The event set out to show children the power of non-fiction reading to help uncover fun and interesting facts. Illustrator, author and animator Curtis Jobling joined the fun and together with Coxhead helped the children to find and illustrate facts that inspire them. All went home with copies of ‘Happy Days’ and The Happy Newspaper.
Our research found that twice as many children and young people who read non-fiction said they read to learn more about the causes they care about (34.3% vs. 14.6%). In addition, twice as many non-fiction readers said they read to relax (62.0% vs. 33.4%), that reading makes them feel better (53.2% vs 26.0%) and that they read to feel connected to the world (28.3% vs 11.7%).
The launch event activity, which took place in October 2024, marked the start of wider work across the city to collate Salford’s Happy Facts. The initiative will celebrate Salfordians’ local knowledge and build a sense of pride and connection in children to their wider community. Contributors will use a range of literacy skills to research the facts, reading around their chosen subjects, interviewing local people and communicating the findings in interesting ways. It is hoped that the work will spread a little happiness along the way.
Jonathan Douglas, CEO, National Literacy Trust, said: “We are thrilled to be launching our 10 year campaign in Salford, a city that is committed to helping local children and young people reach their potential. We know that literacy skills have a central role to play in this, and there has never been a more important time to help foster a love of reading in the next generation.
“By forging partnerships across the city and bringing together inspiring role models, we will work to ensure that every child grows up with the literacy skills they need to get the most out of life.”
To help boost literacy engagement in the city, the campaign will partner with local schools, businesses and community organisations to reach families who are struggling to access support. It will work with a network of local volunteers and delivering a variety of events from giving away free books to author visits in schools.
Martha O’Brien, Manager for the National Literacy Trust in Salford, said: “We believe that literacy changes everything, and the work starts now! We’ll be joining forces with all corners of the community – from teachers and football coaches to parents and youth leaders – to empower children and young people across the city to change their stories.”
Councillor Cammell, Lead Member for Children’s and Young People’s Services at Salford City Council said: "We are committed to ensuring Salford is a great place, where children have the best start in life, and can learn and develop the skills they need to thrive. Being able to read and write not only enables us to be able to do simple things like read letters from the doctor and communicate well with others, but it also opens up opportunities in our careers, boosts creativity and helps us to enjoy life more fully."
You can find out more by following our Facebook page www.fb.com/SalfordLiteracyTrust. If you'd be interested in volunteering, find out how you can be a Literacy Champion in Salford.