Tony Walsh visits Central Library for the Manchester Readathon
Read Manchester has teamed up with charity Read for Good to host the city’s first-ever mass Readathon, which will bring the power of stories to Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.
The Readathon - with over 36,000 children from more than 100 schools taking part - runs from 17 - 28 June, culminating in a Drop Everything and Read at 2pm on Friday 28 June, open to everyone including businesses and community groups. Everyone is encouraged to join in for ten minutes, and whilst donations for Readathon are welcome, anyone can join in without sponsorship just to celebrate reading. Share a photo of you and your friends relaxing with a book at #DEARManchester
The event, one of the first of its kind in the country, is being organised by Read Manchester with charity Read for Good, which has been running its Readathon in individual schools since 1984.
Children taking part in the event will be sponsored to read whatever they like, with the emphasis on reading what they love. Money raised will be used locally by school libraries, on literacy projects in the city and fund Read for Good’s unique programme at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.
Poet Tony Walsh, who recently visited Royal Manchester to see the charity’s work in action and to lend his support to the Manchester City Readathon, said:
"I’m delighted to support the 2019 Manchester Readathon in our great city, a city of so many amazing writers, poets and artists of all kinds. Books and libraries are a gateways to a brighter future for our children and it’s vital that we ensure that the benefits they deliver – literacy, empathy, knowledge, creativity and many more – are available to all, regardless of their circumstances. Through my own work in schools, plus visiting Royal Manchester Children's Hospital with Read for Good, I’ve been privileged to see the great benefits that Readathon delivers and I’d encourage everyone to take part and support this fun and important project in any way that you can."
Jason Vit, National Literacy Trust Hubs Manager, said:
"We’re delighted to team up with Read for Good as part of Read Manchester’s city-wide Readathon. Our research shows that reading for enjoyment can have an important impact on children’s school attainment as well as their mental wellbeing. Readathon provides children with a purpose to read and allows them the freedom to choose whatever they want. We encourage all schools in Manchester to get involved with this brilliant initiative and raise money for a worthy cause."
Find out more about how Readathon works on the Read for Good website.
Download the Manchester DEAR poster.
