BOOKWORMS: Manchester kids with an imagination-sparking Bookbench they have designed, inspired by Roald Dahl's 'The Enormous Crocodile' (Pic cred: Mark Waugh)
BOOKWORMS: Manchester kids with an imagination-sparking Bookbench they have designed, inspired by Roald Dahl’s ‘The Enormous Crocodile’ (Pic cred: Mark Waugh)

As part of Manchester City Council’s Read Manchester campaign with the National Literacy Trust, benches shaped like open books will be decorated by local schools and community groups, and displayed in public venues to help spark the city’s interest in reading.

The year-long Read Manchester campaign was launched back in June this year in partnership with the National Literacy Trust.

An imaginative initiative, it wasn’t long before the campaign won the backing of Coronation Street actress Jennie McAlpine, who joined youngsters at the launch in Manchester Central Library to see one of the BookBenches for herself.

The announcement comes as research conducted at the start of the campaign shows that two thirds of pupils in Manchester enjoy reading, but also highlights room for improvement – both in reading habits and attitudes.

The survey of over 5,000 eight to 18-year-olds from 60 schools found that just 38.7 per cent of children and young people in Manchester read outside class every day and almost a third only read when they have to.

The report, Children and Young People’s Reading in Manchester in 2016, also shows that there is a particular need to engage boys and older pupils in reading.

The BookBench project is part of the year-long programme of Read Manchester activities set to encourage more children and adults across the city to enjoy reading and to raise awareness of the power of reading to transform lives.

After being decorated with designs inspired by books, novels, comics and poems, the BookBenches will be displayed in venues throughout Manchester, including leisure and shopping centres as well as in theatres, museums and art galleries. Families will able to follow a trail to discover the benches and take part in a series of fun activities and events around them.

National Literacy Trust research also shows the important impact that reading for pleasure can have on children and young people’s attainment.

Pupils who enjoy reading very much are three times more likely to read above the level expected for their age, compared to those who don’t enjoy reading at all.

Jonathan Douglas, Director of the National Literacy Trust said: “While it is extremely positive to see that two thirds of Manchester pupils enjoy reading, the survey has highlighted a need to get more children reading outside the classroom and to close the gap between boys’ and girls’ reading.

“Decorating BookBenches with scenes and characters from stories is a great way to inspire children to read more widely, while trails and events around the BookBenches will take reading out of the classroom into the community and encourage families to talk about and enjoy books.”  

Visit www.readmanchester.org.uk for a calendar of events and more information about the campaign.