Young bookworms rewarded for completing Summer Reading Challenge

Article date: 4 October 2024

Organised by The Reading Agency and delivered by local libraries, the Summer Reading Challenge is an Arts Council-funded initiative which tasks children aged 4-11 with reading six books before the start of the new academic year, with rewards up for grabs for those who complete the challenge.  

In St Helens Borough, a total of 1,041 children completed this year's Summer Reading Challenge, with the Mayor, Councillor Jeanette Banks, Cabinet Member for Business, Culture and Leisure, Councillor Kate Groucutt, and other councillors, among those on hand to present certificates at ten presentation events at various libraries.

During this year's Summer Reading Challenge - for which the theme was Marvellous Makers - more than 6,200 books were loaned from St Helens Borough Library Service's network of seven libraries at St Helens, Newton-le-Willows, Haydock, Moss Bank, Eccleston, Thatto Heath and Chester Lane - with 223 children and young people going onto become library members for the first time. 

Meanwhile, a number of outreach sessions were held in Billinge, Rainford, Rainhill and Parr to support children in accessing books over the summer in order to take part in the challenge, with community outreach being a key part of the council's new library strategy to ensure all residents continue to have the opportunity to enjoy what the service has to offer.

 Hailing this year's Summer Reading Challenge a success, Councillor Groucutt commented:

"The annual Summer Reading Challenge is such a massive occasion on the library service's calendar which requires a lot of hard work and organising, so I'd like to thank everyone involved for their efforts, not least our wonderful library staff for facilitating this year's challenge and organising all the presentation ceremonies to celebrate the achievements of children across the borough.

"It's great to see such a positive response, with more than a thousand children completing the challenge and thousands more books loaned out to assist with the challenge - and of course hundreds more members welcomed to our service to discover the joys and delights of what our library service has to offer.

"Reading is such a wonderful gift that can spark creativity and broaden learning and we are committed through a number of initiatives like this to ensure young people from all over the borough have the opportunity to keep on reading - whether it's in libraries or out in the community through our outreach programme."

For more information on St Helens Borough Library Service, including an autumn outreach programme in communities across the borough, visit: https://www.sthelens.gov.uk/libraries