The Reading Agency
Encyclopedia
The Reading Agency is an independent charity
in the United Kingdom
. Registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales, its purpose is to help children, young people and adults across the UK feel inspired and confident about reading. It is a library
development agency that creates greater access to libraries. It also lobbies the government to promote the role libraries have to play in encouraging reading.
The Reading Agency is one of the eight founder organisations that have come together at the Free Word Centre
in London
and receives core funding from Arts Council England
. It works with every UK local authority and also reaches readers through broadcasters, publishers, workplaces, schools, prisons and youth services.
The Reading Agency runs a number of high profile national initiatives including the UK’s largest reading promotion, the Summer Reading Challenge
. Since its creation 12 years ago, the Summer Reading Challenge has become an annual part of the long holidays for more than 750,000 children aged 4-11.
The Big Lottery Fund
awarded a grant to The Reading Agency to launch My Voice, a project supporting disadvantaged teenagers. The project works with young people aged 11-19 who don't regularly use libraries, encouraging them to get involved in local branches and take part in volunteering opportunities.
As the winner of The David Cohen Prize
for Literature 2011, Julian Barnes
chose The Reading Agency as the recipient of the £12,500 Arts Council-funded Clarissa Luard Award for literature organisations that support young writers and readers or an individual writer under the age of 35. The money will be used to support reading initiatives for young offenders.
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales, its purpose is to help children, young people and adults across the UK feel inspired and confident about reading. It is a library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
development agency that creates greater access to libraries. It also lobbies the government to promote the role libraries have to play in encouraging reading.
The Reading Agency is one of the eight founder organisations that have come together at the Free Word Centre
Free Word Centre
The Free Word Centre is an international centre promoting literature, literacy and free expression, based in Farringdon, London. It is funded by the Arts council and its director is Rose Fenton. It opened in June 2009 and hosts ten resident organisations including ARTICLE 19, English PEN and Index...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and receives core funding from 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...
. It works with every UK local authority and also reaches readers through broadcasters, publishers, workplaces, schools, prisons and youth services.
The Reading Agency runs a number of high profile national initiatives including the UK’s largest reading promotion, the Summer Reading Challenge
Summer Reading Challenge
The Summer Reading Challenge is the UK's biggest reading promotion. In 2010 it reached 760,000 children. It was started in 1999 and is run annually by with the library network...
. Since its creation 12 years ago, the Summer Reading Challenge has become an annual part of the long holidays for more than 750,000 children aged 4-11.
The Big Lottery Fund
Big Lottery Fund
The Big Lottery Fund is a grant-making non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom created by the Government to administer the funding of "good causes" following the creation of the National Lottery. It has an annual expenditure of £630 million...
awarded a grant to The Reading Agency to launch My Voice, a project supporting disadvantaged teenagers. The project works with young people aged 11-19 who don't regularly use libraries, encouraging them to get involved in local branches and take part in volunteering opportunities.
As the winner of The David Cohen Prize
David Cohen Prize
The David Cohen Prize for Literature is a biennial British literary award given to a writer, novelist, short-story writer, poet, essayist or dramatist in recognition of an entire body of work, written in the English language. The prize is funded by the John S. Cohen Foundation and administered by...
for Literature 2011, Julian Barnes
Julian Barnes
Julian Patrick Barnes is a contemporary English writer, and winner of the 2011 Man Booker Prize, for his book The Sense of an Ending...
chose The Reading Agency as the recipient of the £12,500 Arts Council-funded Clarissa Luard Award for literature organisations that support young writers and readers or an individual writer under the age of 35. The money will be used to support reading initiatives for young offenders.