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Participation figures for 2016 Summer Reading Challenge released
The Big Friendly Read - the Summer Reading Challenge 2016 - linked up with the global year-long Roald Dahl 100 celebrations. It saw 755,208 children participating in the UK, national charity The Reading Agency announced.
This comprises 643,280 children in England, 39,222 children in Wales, and 43,486 children in Scotland, where the Challenge is sponsored by Tesco Bank and called The Tesco Bank Summer Reading Challenge Scotland.
Other key findings include:
- 7,761 Reading Hack volunteers aged 12 to 24 supported the 2016 Summer Reading Challenge
- 43% of UK-based participants were boys
- 68,040 children joined the library as new members during the Challenge this summer
- 25,415 children under 4 took part, using specially produced pre-school materials
Sue Wilkinson, Chief Executive, The Reading Agency says: “We are delighted that, once again, more than seven hundred thousand children took part in the Summer Reading Challenge at libraries across the UK. This year’s figures are slightly lower than last year’s, but at a challenging time for library services this is an impressive result. We are looking forward to working with our library partners in 2017 to ensure that the Summer Reading Challenge continues to be an exciting way to keep children reading, via their local library, over the summer holidays.”
Sue Ball, Chair of the Association of Senior Children’s and Education Librarians (ASCEL), says: “The annual Summer Reading Challenge enables libraries to support parents and carers with their child’s reading during the long summer break from school. Children who participate tell us that it makes them feel good about their reading.
“The Summer Reading Challenge also provides an opportunity for young people to volunteer at their local library and develop new skills that will help them with their college and job applications. Libraries are incredibly proud to be part of the Summer Reading Challenge.”
Janene Cox, Executive Member at the Society of Chief Librarians (SCL) says: “The Summer Reading Challenge is an incredibly important programme for Libraries and it enables our workforce to do what they do best: encourage and inspire children to read for pleasure. We are incredibly pleased with this year’s results and we are looking forward to working with The Reading Agency to ensure that the Challenge remains an exciting and enjoyable part of libraries’ reading activity going forward”
Chris Riddell, Waterstones Children’s Laureate 2015-2017, says: "The Summer Reading Challenge is one of my favourite things - so full of fun and the joy of reading for pleasure. This is what libraries are all about and we need the Summer Reading Challenge more than ever."