The 2008 National Year of Reading was a year-long celebration of reading, in all its forms. It aimed to help build a greater national passion for reading in England – for children, families and adult learners alike.

The Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families

Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families

The Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families is a Cabinet minister in the United Kingdom. The post was created on 28 June 2007 after the disbanding of the Department for Education and Skills by Gordon Brown. The first Secretary of State was Ed Balls, a former treasury aide to Brown...

, Ed Balls

Ed Balls

Edward Michael Balls, known as Ed Balls, is a British Labour politician, who has been a Member of Parliament since 2005, currently for Morley and Outwood, and is the current Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer....

, joined the Prime Minister

Prime minister

A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...

, Gordon Brown

Gordon Brown

James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...

, children, writers, and reading champions at 10 Downing Street

10 Downing Street

10 Downing Street, colloquially known in the United Kingdom as "Number 10", is the headquarters of Her Majesty's Government and the official residence and office of the First Lord of the Treasury, who is now always the Prime Minister....

 on 8 January 2008. He called for every employer, school, library, college and local authority to get involved.

Purpose

The year aimed to encourage people to read in businesses, homes, and communities around the country, providing new opportunities to read and helping people to access help and support through schools and libraries.

Partners

The National Year of Reading was led by the National Literacy Trust

National Literacy Trust

The National Literacy Trust is an independent charity based in London, England, that promotes literacy.It was founded by Sir Simon Hornby, former chairman of the major national retail chain, WHSmith PLC...

, The Reading Agency and a consortium which comprises:

* Arts Council England

Arts Council England

Arts Council England was formed in 1994 when the Arts Council of Great Britain was divided into three separate bodies for England, Scotland and Wales. It is a non-departmental public body of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport...

* Booktrust
* Campaign for Learning
* Centre for Literacy in Primary Education
* ContinYou
* Museums, Libraries and Archives Council

Museums, Libraries and Archives Council

The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council is a non-departmental public body in England and a registered charity with a remit to promote improvement and innovation in the area of museums, libraries and archives...

* The National Youth Agency

National Youth Agency

The National Youth Agency is an educational charity in England that works in partnership with a wide range of public, private and voluntary sector organisations to support and improve services for young people....

* NIACE

NIACE

The NIACE is an educational charity in England and Wales, with headquarters in Leicester and Cardiff plus a subsidiary offices in London. The organisation is dedicated to promoting adult learning and was founded in 1921...

* Volunteer Reading Help

Monthly Themes

Activities in the National Year of Reading included the following themes:

• April: Read all about it! Links to newspapers and magazines; library membership campaign.

• May: Mind and Body. Reading and learning at work. The knock-on benefits of reading.

• June: Reading escapes. Holiday and summer reads.

• July: Rhythm and Rhyme. Poems, poetry and lyrics.

• August: Read the Game. The influence of sport and how this can help promote reading.

• September: You are what you read. Cultural, personal and local identity.

• October: Word of Mouth. Storytelling, reading out loud, reading together, reading aloud, live literature.

• November: Screen reads. Exploring the diversity of reading and writing; scripts, TV and films.

• December: Write the future. Writing, texting, blogging etc.

Values

Shared values underpinned the consortium and sat at the heart of the year. These were:

* Impact – both personal and social
* Celebration – positive, enjoyable experiences
* Diversity – of reading experiences and communities
* Participation – co-production of the year with communities and partners
* Creativity in development and delivery
* Legacy – to create a lasting change in lives and systems

Legacy

The work of the 2008 National Year of Reading has been continued by the Reading for Life campaign, run by the National Literacy Trust

National Literacy Trust

The National Literacy Trust is an independent charity based in London, England, that promotes literacy.It was founded by Sir Simon Hornby, former chairman of the major national retail chain, WHSmith PLC...

 . See the National Literacy Trust

National Literacy Trust

The National Literacy Trust is an independent charity based in London, England, that promotes literacy.It was founded by Sir Simon Hornby, former chairman of the major national retail chain, WHSmith PLC...

wikipedia page for more.

External links

• National Year of Reading website.
• National Literacy Trust website.
• Reading for Life website.
• Heinemann NYR Website - UK publisher supporting the NYR