Read Manchester Autumn Newsletter

Wythenshawe Park Story Trail

#Take10toRead with us on 8^th October

As part of Read Manchester’s Connecting Stories project, we invite you to join us on World Mental Health Day for the #Take10toRead challenge, which promotes the benefits that reading can have on our mental health.

There are lots of ways you can support this moment:  

- Join us at 10am on 8th October for our National ‘Take10toRead’ challenge where everyone drops everything to read for 10 minutes.
- Share your photos and book recommendations on your social media channels, using hashtags #Take10ToRead and #ReadMCR and tagging @manclibraries.
- Encourage your family, friends and networks to take part in the challenge.

Find out more on our webpage and let us know if your workplace/organisation would like to get involved. Schools can sign up here to join in.

Read Manchester Book gifting programme

We have now gifted a grand total of 76,538 books and magazines since April 2020! These have gone out through Read Manchester’s book gifting programme to 100+ organisations and community groups across the city.

Thanks to all of these partner organisations that have supported us by making sure that families most in need receive free books and resources. Look out for our Christmas Big Book Giveaway coming soon!

Connecting Stories – further funding obtained!  

Following the success of the initial Connecting Stories, funded by Arts Council England we are delighted that there is to be a further 18 months of activity. The Connecting Stories workstream has brought a range of books and literary experiences to children in Manchester and we are now planning the next stages following a second successful funding bid. 

Connecting Stories has been a resounding success with some big numbers for Manchester! We engaged with 103 schools and 9,480 children and young people through author events. We also engaged 57,749 participants in our Take 10 wellbeing moment in May.

Read Easy – supporting adults to read

Read Easy UK is a registered charity established to help adults with reading difficulties. It uses local groups that provide one-to-one training and support from trained volunteer coaches. Poor literacy levels are not just a barrier to employment and many of the practicalities of life, they are also associated with low self-esteem, a lack of confidence, isolation and depression.

The tuition provided by Read Easy is confidential, one-to-one (so there are no classrooms), flexible (planned around the location and availability of the reader and their coach) and it’s totally free for the reader. The tuition takes place in two thirty-minute sessions each week with an assigned coach and runs at a pace that suits the reader. Contact details for your local Read Easy can be found here.

Gorton Imagination Library wins Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service

Gorton Imagination Library is on a mission to spread a love of reading and receiving this award will help them to do just that! From over 5,000 applications, Gorton Imagination Library (GIL) was selected as one of the 241 winners nationally. Read Manchester is a partner in GIL, a registered charity and is proud to support its work.  

Children who are registered to the scheme receive a free book through the post every month until they are five. Access to books supports the development of communication and language skills and literacy, so vital at every stage of life. 

For more information visit the Manc Libraries blog

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