Literacy news
Sports stars, authors and schools support the One in Six literacy campaign
17 Oct 2011
Authors, celebrities and sports stars have joined forces for the National Literacy Trust’s fundraising drive, the One in Six campaign, which took place in locations across the UK from 3 to 12 October 2011.
Primary schools across the UK hosted National Literacy Trust employees, Jack Sallabank and Jim Sells, who ran 160 miles over 10 days to raise money for our work to support literacy in disadvantaged communities. They ran this distance to raise awareness of the one in six people in the UK who struggle with literacy. Each day, Jack and Jim ran 16 miles in a different region of Britain. Their 15th mile took them to a local primary school, where they delivered a fun-packed literacy session alongside children’s authors and local celebrities. Afterwards, Jack and Jim lead the children on a fun run for the 16th mile of the day.
The run kicked off in Edinburgh on Monday 3 October and was completed on Wednesday 12 October. During the 10 days, dedicated Jack and Jim ran and delivered literacy sessions in Darlington, Stoke, Merthyr Tydfil, Bristol, Exmouth, Northampton, Essex and finally London, where they were met with rapturous applause.
Thoughout the event, Jack and Jim were joined by an array of celebrities, authors and mascots including Tommy Donbavand, Roary the Lion from Middlesborough FC, Pottermus (mascot for Stoke FC), Jan Dean, Tom Percival, Rhydian Bowen Phillips, Tanya Landman, David James, Isla Whitcroft, Dan Freedman, Ugo Ehiogu and Alex Milway.
Tommy Donbavand commented:
Through reading, you can discover a thousand new worlds every day - all you have to do is open a book! One in Six is making sure every child has the chance to do just that, which is why I'm proud to be involved.
Runner Jim Sells says:
It's certainly been an amazing experience running around the country. Physically painful at times, of course, but every school that we have visited, every author and celebrity that has supported the events, and every donation made - and you can still donate - has made this a real win for literacy. The children in particular have been incredibly excited; they have been so motivated by the sporting and reading elements, that we really feel that something very special has been achieved.
Macmillan Education and Skechers Fitness are the official sponsors of the One in Six literacy campaign.
Jo Greig, Macmillan Education Marketing Director said:
We’re enormously proud and excited to be involved in such a worthwhile campaign, especially one with education and learning at its heart.
Peter Youell, Managing Director for Skechers Footwear UK & Ireland said:
This is a great opportunity to combine sport with education and to help children get excited about reading. It is also a fantastic way to encourage children to get involved in running and fitness. Skechers are extremely proud to be a part of this campaign and help support the effort. The distance that Jack and Jim are running in 10 days is remarkable, we wish them every success and will catch up with them along the way!
The run is called ‘One in Six’, because of the regularity of the statistic throughout literacy research:
- One in six children will have difficulty learning to speak
- One in six 11-year-olds have the literacy levels of a seven-year-old
- One in six children in the UK will not have read a book in the last month
- One in six adults is functionally illiterate, which means they have the literacy skills expected at age 11 or below.
The National Literacy Trust campaigns for literacy, provides disadvantaged children with free books and helps parents to support their children’s literacy. We need to raise £1 million a year to support our work in disadvantaged communities across the UK.
The fundraising target of the One in Six run is £25,000. You can donate now at Just Giving or through JustTextGiving, by texting READ16 to 70070. Everyone who donates via JustGiving will be entered into a draw, with the chance to win VIP tickets to a Premier League football match or to Matilda the Musical, as well as a selection of books kindly donated by Random House, Orion Books and Piccadilly Press.
