Bridget Jones author Helen Fielding hails Standard's Reading campaign as 'a shining light for all of London'

 
Inspiring: Helen Fielding talks to pupils at St Mary’s School, Battersea (Picture: Alex Lentati)

The Evening Standard’s campaign to tackle illiteracy was today hailed as “a shining light for all of London” by Bridget Jones author Helen Fielding.

Get London Reading, which puts volunteers in schools to aid reluctant readers, is celebrating its third birthday and has grown into the most influential literacy campaign in modern British newspaper history.

It has helped more than 2,300 children at 280 schools in the capital since its launch and inspired similar schemes in Birmingham, Leeds, Kent and Northamptonshire.

Now our campaign and partner Beanstalk are being honoured with an international citation at the US Library of Congress Literacy Awards.

The Evening Standard’s Get Reading campaign is supported by NOOK

Today Education Secretary Nicky Morgan hailed its great success, saying: “I want to congratulate the Standard and the amazing volunteers who have gone into schools and made a real difference to thousands of children’s lives.

“Get London Reading is not just raising awareness of this issue by encouraging people to go and help reluctant readers — it’s changing things for the better.”

Mayor Boris Johnson said: “Boosting literacy bestows a lifelong passion for learning in children and helps unlock their potential.

“Every child deserves a good education and this fantastic scheme is boosting literacy and making reading more interesting for young learners who need our support to help them achieve great things.”

Author Fielding paid a visit to the campaign’s flagship school, St Mary’s in Battersea, and told pupils: “In the three years since the Standard put helpers into your school, your level of reading has gone up amazingly.”

More than £1 million has been raised to fund training of volunteers by Beanstalk — half of it from Standard readers and the other half by the Mayor’s Fund for London.

The scheme has won several awards in the UK. Next month in Washington DC it will be recognised at the Library Of Congress Awards, which honour “outstanding contributions to increasing literacy”.

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