At 10am on Tuesday 10 October, people across Suffolk took part in the National Literacy Trust’s #Take10ToRead challenge for World Mental Health Day. The campaign promotes the wellbeing benefits of reading for pleasure, encouraging everyone to give it a try for ten minutes.
More than 1.100 children from Suffolk schools tuned into digital storytelling events with authors and illustrators to celebrate words and the way they make us feel.
Alongside the three online events, the National Literacy Trust in Suffolk visited three Stowmarket schools to gift books and encourage children to take 10 minutes out of their day to read.
The Mayor of Stowmarket was with the National Literacy Trust visiting Trinity Primary on Tuesday 10 October, while MP for Bury St Edmunds Jo Churchill joined an event on Friday 13 October at Bacton Primary.
“It’s wonderful that more than 1,100 children in Suffolk joined our incredible authors and illustrators, Ziggy Hanaor, Ollie Silvester, Susie Dent and Aoife Dooley to complete the #Take10ToRead challenge on World Mental Health Day. The right words can spark a child’s imagination, calm their minds and improve their wellbeing – and the magic happens when they read about what interests them. We’re calling on families to try it for 10 minutes today and see where it takes them.”
Sarah Maidment, National Literacy Trust Project Manager in Stowmarket
“I was delighted to join the students and staff of Bacton Primary as part of events to mark the National Literacy Trust’s Take 10 campaign. Reading brings health benefits for all members of our communities, but for children, it helps them to learn, improves mood and broadens their horizons. Reading with my children, and now my granddaughter, is one of my favourite activities - just 10 minutes a day can make a real difference.”
Jo Churchill, MP for Bury St Edmunds
Take 10 is a campaign from the National Literacy Trust to promote the wellbeing benefits of reading. It encourages schools, businesses and communities to stop what they’re doing and take the time to read something – be it a book, magazine, recipe or sports report – to boost their mood every day.
The latest National Literacy Trust research, revealed that levels of reading enjoyment fell to the lowest level since 2005, with just 2 in 5 (43.4%) children and young people aged 8 to 18 saying they enjoyed reading in their free time. Fewer than 3 in 10 of them said they read daily.
The #Take10ToRead challenge is part of the National Literacy Trust’s work supported by Arts Council England.