We’re so excited to partner with British Land to launch ‘Read More, Feel Better’, a new summer holiday reading campaign that’s being delivered as part of our Young Readers Programme.
The launch comes alongside our new research which reveals that over 2 in 5 (44.6%) children say that reading makes them feel better[1]. We looked at how this differs across regions: Londoners are the most likely to feel better after reading (48.8%) whereas children and young people in the East Midlands are the least likely (42.2%).
‘Read More, Feel Better’ is designed to help children in 12 communities across the UK to continue reading for fun over the summer holidays, with a selection of top tips and advice for parents on British Land’s nine retail and three office campus websites, including Meadowhall and Regent’s Place, on how to create an effective reading space at home and the best books for supporting children’s wellbeing.
We will also be hosting a live storytelling session for children at 11am on Wednesday 11th August, with three expert storytellers sharing exciting and engaging tales for children aged 5 – 11 years. Check back here and keep an eye on our social media channels for all the details!
Across the 12 sites, approximately 1,200 books have been donated as part of ‘Read More, Feel Better’, bringing the total number of books donated by British Land this year to over 30,500.
Jonathan Douglas CBE, chief executive of the National Literacy Trust, said: “We know that reading has the extraordinary ability to help children relax and feel better – and indeed, our research shows that almost half of children across the country reported these brilliant effects of reading on their wellbeing.
“‘Read More, Feel Better’ is also a brilliant way to support children’s continued literary development amid a time of great disruption to education, learning and overall health.”
Anna Devlet, Head of Community at British Land, said: “We’re delighted to launch ‘Read More, Feel Better’ across 12 of our sites this summer. After such a turbulent school year, it’s so important to support children’s wellbeing. We hope parents and children alike enjoy the storytelling sessions, books and range of free digital content.”
[1] In January to February 2021, 42,502 children and young people aged 9 to 18 took part in the National Literacy Trust’s latest Annual Literacy Survey.
