At 10am today, TV presenters Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly will be encouraging children, communities, and businesses all over the country to drop everything and take 10 minutes to read for our #Take10ToRead challenge, which highlights the link between reading for pleasure and mental wellbeing.
In 2022 we enlisted the support of iconic TV presenters Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly to help us encourage children and communities across the country to drop everything and Take 10 at 10am. Discover more about this year’s Take 10 to Read campaign here.
More than 55,000 school children are expected to take part in this year’s #Take10ToRead moment, proudly supported by Arts Council England and Birmingham-based company Wesleyan.
As part of the UK’s Mental Health Awareness Week (9 – 15 May 2022), we've partnered with Ant & Dec to host a digital event leading up to the Take 10 moment. At 10am on the 10 October 2022, Ant & Dec introduced more than 55,000 pupils to Propa Happy (Farshore Books), their debut book supporting children to nurture their wellbeing every day, with Ant & Dec’s proceeds going to raise vital funds for the NSPCC.
The event included a sneak peek of Propa Happy (published on 26 May 2022) and the book’s illustrator, Katie Abey, lead a draw-a-long for children to share what makes them feel happy. The book also launched the duo’s Pass the Positivity Campaign, a nationwide positivity project inviting school-aged children to share what makes them feel good – like reading! Children will be encouraged to give it a go themselves and had the chance to submit their work to the Propa Happy Pass the Positivity Campaign by 20 May 2022 at www.propahappy.co.uk.
The #Take10ToRead challenge encourages schools, businesses and communities to stop what they’re doing and take the time to read and focus on their wellbeing every day. Our research shows that reading can be an effective way of helping people care of their mental health and wellbeing – and it only takes 10 minutes a day to see the benefits, including boosting your mood, reducing stress levels and improving memory and concentration.
This Take 10 moment, during Mental Health Awareness Week, feels even more important given the stress and loneliness brought on by two years of lockdowns. Further research has shown that 3 on 5 (59.3%) of children told us during lockdown that reading made them feel better, and 3 in 10 (31.6%) said that reading helped them when they felt sad because they could not see their family or friends. Moments like the #Take10ToRead campaign, which encourage reading for every day, can make a real difference to the lives of children all over the UK.
"We love the National Literacy Trust’s Take 10 campaign and can’t wait to take part and encourage children and young people to take time for their wellbeing."
Ant McPartlin
More than 55,000 school children are expected to take part in this year’s #Take10ToRead moment, proudly supported by Arts Council England and Birmingham-based company Wesleyan.
As part of the UK’s Mental Health Awareness Week (9 – 15 May 2022), we've partnered with Ant & Dec to host a digital event leading up to the Take 10 moment. At 10am on the 10 October 2022, Ant & Dec introduced more than 55,000 pupils to Propa Happy (Farshore Books), their debut book supporting children to nurture their wellbeing every day, with Ant & Dec’s proceeds going to raise vital funds for the NSPCC.
The event included a sneak peek of Propa Happy (published on 26 May 2022) and the book’s illustrator, Katie Abey, lead a draw-a-long for children to share what makes them feel happy. The book also launched the duo’s Pass the Positivity Campaign, a nationwide positivity project inviting school-aged children to share what makes them feel good – like reading! Children will be encouraged to give it a go themselves and had the chance to submit their work to the Propa Happy Pass the Positivity Campaign by 20 May 2022 at www.propahappy.co.uk.
The #Take10ToRead challenge encourages schools, businesses and communities to stop what they’re doing and take the time to read and focus on their wellbeing every day. Our research shows that reading can be an effective way of helping people care of their mental health and wellbeing – and it only takes 10 minutes a day to see the benefits, including boosting your mood, reducing stress levels and improving memory and concentration.
This Take 10 moment, during Mental Health Awareness Week, feels even more important given the stress and loneliness brought on by two years of lockdowns. Further research has shown that 3 on 5 (59.3%) of children told us during lockdown that reading made them feel better, and 3 in 10 (31.6%) said that reading helped them when they felt sad because they could not see their family or friends. Moments like the #Take10ToRead campaign, which encourage reading for every day, can make a real difference to the lives of children all over the UK.
"In these difficult times, wellbeing is more important than ever and #Take10ToRead is an excellent way to reach young people from many different communities across the UK.”
Declan Donnelly
Jonathan Douglas, Chief Executive of the National Literacy Trust said: “Take 10 is a campaign that is very close to our hearts at the National Literacy Trust – supporting children in their mental health and wellbeing through the simple act of taking 10 minutes every day to read. It is thrilling knowing that thousands of children all over the country will be joining superstars Ant and Dec, to drop everything and read together at the exact same time. We hope that Take 10 is simply the beginning, and that we will see more children – and grown-ups too – reading for pleasure every day.”
We are inviting everyone to share their Take 10 challenge on social media by using the hashtag #Take10ToRead.
Take 10 is part of the National Literacy Trust’s Connecting Stories initiative, which addresses the literacy attainment gap across the UK with Arts Council England, and is proudly supported by Birmingham-based company Wesleyan. This comes as part of a sustained partnership between Wesleyan and the National Literacy Trust which focuses on supporting teachers wellbeing. This £74,000 project includes sponsorship of Take 10, a new teacher wellbeing platform and support for primary schools in Birmingham.
Find resources to continue supporting children with their wellbeing and raise awareness about mental health here: Children's Mental Health Awareness Week resources