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Two new appointments to lead the National Literacy Trust’s early years communication campaign
6 Dec 2010
The National Literacy Trust has announced the appointment of Clare Bolton and Cathy Hamer as the new managers of our Talk To Your Baby campaign.
Claire and Cathy will carry on the work of the previous manager, Liz Attenborough, who first developed the campaign at the charity in 2003.
Talk To Your Baby encourages parents and carers to talk more to their children from birth to three years. Talking and listening to young children helps them to develop the language and communication skills that are vital for a fulfilling, happy and successful life.
Clare Bolton has 14 years’ marketing and PR experience. Her previous roles included Marketing Director for News International's Revolver.com, Head of Marketing for the Telegraph online and Head of Consumer Marketing at Microsoft’s Windows Live. Most recently she has been working on a media start-up involving parenting organisations and experts in the fields of child development and education.
Dr Cathy Hamer is an early years teacher, health and educational psychologist who was involved with Sure Start from the outset. Cathy wrote the local authority strategic guidance paper for Talk To Your Baby and managed the innovative Face to Face project, which aimed to identify key messages for parents and carers about communicating with babies and young children. This project will inform the strategy for the forthcoming 2011 National Year of Communication, as well as future Talk To Your Baby work.
It is expected that the National Year of Communication campaign, named Hello, will see increased awareness of the communication needs of our youngsters among Government, professionals and the general public. As one of the over 35 voluntary and community organisations that make up the Communication Trust consortium responsible for delivering the National Year, the campaign will be very important for the National Literacy Trust and its Talk To Your Baby campaign.
Director of the National Literacy Trust Jonathan Douglas says:
“Too many children in the UK are entering nursery and school with inadequate language and communication skills. Many may not have had enough opportunities to develop their communication skills as babies and toddlers and ultimately, they can remain at a disadvantage compared with those who grow up in language-rich homes. This is why we are thrilled to have both Clare and Cathy on board to carry on Talk To Your Baby’s excellent work to raise the profile of early years communication and the lasting effect it can have on a child’s life.”
Ends.
For more information please contact Talk To Your Baby Information and Communications Officer, Shawna Spoor, on 020 7820 6265 or email shawna.spoor@literacytrust.org.uk
Notes to Editors
1. Talk To Your Baby
Talk To Your Baby is a campaign run by the National Literacy Trust to encourage parents and carers to talk more to children from birth to three. For more information visit www.talktoyourbaby.org.uk
There is concern that increasing numbers of children are suffering from communication difficulties, and teachers and nursery workers feel young children’s speaking and listening skills are on the decline. One of the contributing factors is believed to be the lack of time adults and young children spend talking together. Talk To Your Baby’s advocacy work includes campaigning to change the way that buggies face, to better facilitate adult/infant interaction. A research report, published in November 2008, showed that children in forward-facing buggies were less likely to talk, laugh, and interact with their parents, than those in buggies that face the pusher.
2. National Literacy Trust
The National Literacy Trust is an independent charity that transforms lives through literacy. We believe that society will only be fair when everyone has the literacy skills they need to communicate, to fulfil their potential and to contribute more to society. We campaign to improve public understanding of the vital importance of literacy, as well as delivering projects and working in partnership to reach those most in need of support.
To help us transform lives through literacy, you can make a donation. To find out how visit http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/support
National Literacy Trust is a registered charity no. 1116260, and a company limited by guarantee, no. 5836486. Registered in England and Wales. Registered address: 68 South Lambeth Road, London SW8 1RL. Tel: 020 7587 1842.
3. The National Year
2011 will be the National Year of Speech, Language and Communication organised through the Communication Trust. “The Year will build on and develop previous initiatives to raise awareness of the importance of speech, language and communication particularly for children with SLCN, will promote the sharing of effective strategies to encourage language development and will engage local and national stakeholders in supporting the development of speech, language and communication.” Jean Gross, Communication Champion.
