Hundreds of school children visit Drake Circus for storytelling event to encourage reading

Drake Circus welcomed 199 school children from Stuart Road Primary Academy, Pilgrim Primary Academy, and Pennycross Primary School for a storytelling session, aimed at helping them fall in love with reading.    

Hosted in Drake Circus, the event allowed children to listen to stories from professional storyteller John Hughes and was part of the Young Readers Programme, an award-winning initiative sponsored by Drake Circus owner British Land and run in-partnership with the National Literacy Trust, designed to encourage children to read outside of the classroom.    

John Hughes, who offers regular storytelling sessions for both the National Literacy Trust and Alder Hey Hospital, is part of The Windows Project which aims to introduce marginalised groups to the power of language as a creative tool. John recites his own stories and poems alongside those drawn from ancient mythology, folklore, and fairy tales.    

During the literacy-focussed event, pupils also took part in a range of fun activities including workshops from LUSH and FatFace and were able to take home a book of their choice.      

This marks the twelfth year of British Land’s partnership with the National Literacy Trust, and since the programme launched at Drake Circus, it has supported more than 2,803 school children and seen more than 8,409 books donated across Plymouth.  

Research by the National Literacy Trust has shown that owning a book means children are more likely to say they enjoy reading and are more inclined to read in their free time. However, 6.5% of children in the UK do not own a book, which equates to half a million children across the country*. This rises to one in 10 (9.7%) children from disadvantaged backgrounds, which is the demographic this partnership aims to reach. 

With reading for enjoyment proven to have a positive effect on children’s reading skill* as well as their wellbeing and mental health, the Young Readers Programme initiative aims to give support and help with the development of children in under privileged areas by giving them access to books. 

Greg Lumley, centre director at Drake Circus, said: “Supporting our community is very important to us, so we’re incredibly proud of the Young Readers Programme and all the local children and families we’ve been able to support in the last 11 years. 

“It was brilliant to welcome the children from Stuart Road Primary Academy, Pilgrim Primary Academy, and Pennycross Primary School to the centre. It’s always very rewarding to see how the children are inspired by the stories they hear and start to get excited about reading and bringing their own books home.”   

Martin Galway, Head of School Programmes at the National Literacy Trust, said: “The right book, at the right moment, can change a child’s life.  

“That’s what the Young Readers Programme has been doing with British Land for the last 12 years – giving children from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds the opportunity to experience enchanting story-telling events, and to choose books that speak to their interests and passions.  

“Our goal is to spark a love of reading that will last them a lifetime, which in turn will empower them with the literacy skills they need to succeed.”