If Estelle Morris still hasn’t got time to read (as she told the The Daily Mirror last year), she’s got company. More than a quarter of the adults questioned by the National Reading Campaign on their personal reading have not finished a book for pleasure in the past year.
The campaign has just organised Swap a Book Day to promote reading in workplaces (including schools, which are increasingly organising events among teachers and pupils) and encourage non-reading adults to pick up a book. The day was introduced last year in association with Unesco’s International Literacy Day (September 8, not to be confused with World Book Day next March) to improve basic skills by building a reading culture among adults.
The campaign’s free posters and postcards are suitable to be used for promoting book events for children or adults at any time. To start your colleagues swapping their favourite reads, tel 0845 60 222 60, fax 0845 60 333 60, minicom 0845 60 555 60 or email dfes@prolog.uk.com. Quote reference NRC PSB for a poster or NRC PCSB for a pack of 60 postcards. Ideas for using them, and more advice on running other book events: www.literacytrust.org. ukcampaignindex.html.