Accrington Stanley Community Trust have given 300 free, brand-new books and 50 WHSmith vouchers to distribute to primary schools in their local area to support young readers as part of an exciting partnership between Premier League Primary Stars and the National Literacy Trust to celebrate World Book Day on 3 March 2022.
The partnership has enabled 27,000 free books to be distributed to schools across England and Wales via 81 professional football club community organisations delivering the Premier League Primary Stars education programme. National Literacy Trust research found that children who own their own books are nearly three times more likely to enjoy reading. Lockdowns have made it difficult for children to access physical books because of school and public library closures, so getting copies of books into the hands of children is more vital than ever. Since the launch of the Premier League Primary Stars education programme in 2016, the Premier
League has distributed 152,000 free books to school children.
Elle Kayley from Accrington Stanley Community Trust said: “ World Book Day is getting bigger and more creative every year and we wanted to do our bit to help encourage local children to get into reading. Reading is an important part of a child’s education but it can also be fun and exciting. We hope these books will be enjoyed by children across our area. A big thanks goes to the National Literacy Trust for their support with this initiative’
To further support pupils on World Book Day at 10.30am, the National Literacy Trust will host a funfilled Premier League Primary Stars live event, featuring the authors of Football School (one of last year’s World Book Day titles), Alex Bellos and Ben Lyttleton. The 30-minute event – The Great Big 2022 World Book Day Footy & Booky Quiz – will be hosted by sports presenter Kelly Somers and will include a special round of questions set by players from the Premier League, the EFL and the Women’s Super
League.
What’s more, the brilliant Football School: Terrific Teams, written by Alex Bellos and Ben Lyttleton will be available to read online for free from the National Literacy Trust’s Words for Life website, thanks to publisher Walker Books. Teachers can also access an exciting Premier League Primary Stars World Book Day football-themed challenge with the duo via this page too. Jim Sells, Sport and Literacy Programme Manager at the National Literacy Trust said: “World Book Day celebrates the power and joy of reading. We know that children who have books at home do better in school, so we are delighted to be able to distribute such an incredible number of books and vouchers to schools across the country with the help of the community organisations at 81 brilliant football clubs. For this year’s World Book Day, we are challenging as many pupils as possible to join their local library, gaining a lifelong access to books and reading for free! I’d like to thank our partners at World Book Day, WHSmith and Walker Books for making this possible.
“I’m also very excited about the live event with Kelly Somers, Ben Lyttleton and Alex Bellos, three brilliantly energetic personalities who inspire children to get into reading through their love of football.”
To download a free copy of Football School: Terrific Teams and to access football-themed activities
visit: wordsforlife.org.uk/premierleague
