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Six Book Challenge: empowering adults to enjoy reading and improve skills for lifeTop Ten bestselling author Adele Parks launches 2012 Challenge
Adele Parks. Photo(s) by Isabelle Plasschaert. The Reading Agency and Brent Libraries were delighted to play host to bestselling novelist Adele Parks yesterday (1 February), who welcomed learners from Brent Adult and Community Education Service (BACES) as they enrolled for the 2012 Six Book Challenge at Harlesden Library Plus in the London Borough of Brent, north west London. Launched in 2008, the annual Six Book Challenge encourages less confident readers to develop a new reading habit and improve their skills at the same time. Participants are invited to pick six reads of their choice and complete a reading diary in order to receive incentives along the way, a certificate and the chance to enter a national prize draw. Impact research has found that 94% of respondents felt a sense of achievement, 88% said they gained from the experience and 60% reported an improvement in their skills - a finding endorsed each year by tutors. (See "Notes to editors".) The Six Book Challenge is run by independent charity The Reading Agency to help tackle the UK's continuing skills deficit. New Government figures show that 15% (5.1 million) of the working age population in England are still at or below the literacy level expected of an 11 year old. (See 'Notes to editors'.) 18,000 young people and adults across the UK registered for the Six Book Challenge through libraries, colleges, adult education, prisons and workplaces in 2011, with potentially life-changing results. Its target for 2012 is to engage with 22,500 adults. Brent Libraries are star performers for the Six Book Challenge having enrolled over 500 participants in 2011 and won a local council award for their partnership work with BACES. Adele Parks is one of the biggest selling women's fiction writers in the UK, with sales in excess of one and a half million copies. Author of 10 bestselling novels, including About Last Night (due out in paperback on 12 April 2012), Men I've Loved Before and Love Lies, Adele is the Six Book Challenge's official ambassador for 2012. She wrote Happy Families for the Quick Reads* initiative in 2008 for which she won the Quick Reads Learners' Favourite Award; The Reading Agency works closely with Quick Reads in order to maximise the impact of the Six Book Challenge. Adele said: 'Reading can make a huge difference to quality of life. I believe having the skills and confidence to read is a basic human right. Reading leaves you richer and wiser. So it's a great privilege to be an ambassador of the Six Book Challenge, a brilliant scheme that successfully engages less confident or reluctant readers in their thousands; helping individuals and ultimately helping our country to be a better place.' 'The partnership between public libraries and adult education in Brent sets a gold standard for the Six Book Challenge around the country,' said The Reading Agency's adult literacy specialist Genevieve Clarke. 'The scheme is really taking hold as a proven way to get people into an enjoyment of reading at the same time as helping them to make progress in their literacy and language. We're thrilled that our new ambassador Adele Parks is celebrating this with us at the start of our fifth year.' Brent's Lead Member for Environment and Neighbourhoods, Cllr. James Powney said: "I'm delighted that Brent Libraries and BACES are teaming up again for the Reading Agency's Six Book Challenge after the success of previous years. It was wonderful to have Adele Parks come to Harlesden Library to launch this year's programme and meet with our adult learners from BACES who have all taken the big step of improving their literacy and language skills. As one of the UK's biggest selling writers, Adele really is an inspiring figure whose personal appearance at the launch certainly got this year's Six Book Challenge off to a flying start." 'There is no doubt that the Six Book Challenge enriches the learning opportunities that we are able to offer our learners at BACES,' added Diana Teesdale, head of Skills for Life* for Brent Council. 'Reading with the Six Book Challenge has really opened doors for me. I love writing book reviews, and I am now interested in doing an Improving Your Writing course at college,' said Brent resident Noelle Ramjee, 56, who completed the 2011 Six Book Challenge. 'Reading also helps me to relax, and to gain more knowledge to use in everyday life. It gives me more words to use to communicate with people, and it's like a river of no return: the more you read, the more you want to know what is coming next.' Brent-based Nana Kwaa, mother to four children under age 12, adds: 'Since doing the Six Book Challenge I have seen an improvement to my reading. I am on my fourth book and did not read much before. It has encouraged me to read more and my teacher says I have improved as well. I like to read to my children now, we help each other. I have been writing about the books in the reading diary. They are so good, even the sad ones.' * Photos attached to this email may be freely used in conjunction with articles about the Six Book Challenge, but should be credited: Photo(s) by Isabelle Plasschaert. First photo shows author Adele Parks on her own. Second photo shows her with Brent-based Six Book Challenge completers (from left to right) Rupert Mikely, Leila Pakvar, Nicola Moses, Clifton Lewis and Blossom Brooks. For more media information please contact: Debbie Hyde, Oasis Media debbie.hyde@oasismedia.co.uk or 07956 320 486 Notes to editors: The Reading Agency is an independent charity working to inspire more people to read more. It is funded by the Arts Council and has a formal partnership with public library services, nearly two-thirds of which support the Six Book Challenge each year. (www.readingagency.org.uk) The main activity for the Six Book Challenge 2012 will run from January to September to include increased involvement for families over the summer in conjunction with The Reading Agency's Summer Reading Challenge. But organisations are welcome to run it at any time that suits them during the year. More Six Book Challenge information can be found at: www.sixbookchallenge.org.uk See www.readingagency.org.uk/adults/reading-for-pleasure-impact/ for the Six Book Challenge 2008 impact report. See http://www.bis.gov.uk/policies/further-education-skills for 2011 Skills for Life Survey: Headline findings More information about Adele Parks can be found at: www.adeleparks.com/books.html Harlesden Library Plus is located at Craven Park Road, Harlesden, London NW10 8SE. More information about libraries in Brent can be found at: www.brent.gov.uk/nv/LBB-2?OpenDocument&pid=200062 The Reading Agency works closely with other related initiatives such as the Quick Reads in order to maximise the impact of the Six Book Challenge. See www.quickreads.org.uk/ for eight new titles published today. Press release (1,200 words) issued 2 Feb 2012  DHL three-day event gives everyone a chance to learn Baked-in learning Learning in communion |
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