Take 10 in your organisations and communities

About the Take 10 to read campaign

#Take10toRead is our campaign to increase reading for pleasure by promoting the mental wellbeing benefits of reading. Reading is a great way to relax, boost your mood and escape the pressures of daily life.

That’s why, each year on World Mental Health Day, 10 October, we encourage everyone to take 10 minutes to read, to feel the mental health and wellbeing benefits of reading. We work with organisations, communities and schools to spread the joy of reading far and wide.

Get involved

Don’t wait until October to encourage your organisation or community to #Take10ToRead! You can create a Take 10 to Read event at any time of year to boost everyone's mood. Support your staff, colleagues, their families and community to find something that they enjoy reading - and it doesn't have to be a book, it could be a comic, magazine or even recipe cards. Encourage them to drop everything and read for 10 minutes and see where it takes them. Take a look at our resources below designed to help you create a reading culture in your organisation.

The added difference you will make

We know that children are more likely to enjoy reading if they see adults they care about reading too. This matters, because children who regularly read for pleasure do better at school and are happier. Research has also shown that reading for pleasure is more important for children’s cognitive development between ages 10 and 16 than their parents’ level of education, so it’s a critical factor in social mobility.

So, encouraging your workforce to #Take10ToRead will not only yield positive mental health benefits for your employees but will also have a knock-on effect on the reading enjoyment of the children in their lives, which will in turn improve the next generation’s life chances.