Young bookworms in Hartlepool have been rewarded for their reading achievements after helping to more than treble participation in this year's Summer Reading Challenge.
Children aged up to 11 were invited to take part in the free initiative at Hartlepool's Community Hubs and Libraries, encouraging them to discover the joy of reading while boosting their skills and confidence.
The challenge was open to children aged five to 11, with a Mini Challenge available for children under five. Each child set their own reading goal.
This year's challenge, Read to the Beat!, celebrated the joy of music and its power to inspire, connect and bring people together through reading.
A remarkable 741 children completed the challenge this year, including 340 under-fives and 401 children aged five and over, smashing last year's total of 224 children. Together they read an incredible 3,497 books.
Some of the Summer Reading Challenge champions with their medals and certificates with Councillor Sue Little, Paul Little and Adam Bushnell, and volunteers dressed as character favourites ‘Woody’ and ‘The Princess’ who helped with the presentations
To celebrate their achievement, every child who completed the challenge received a certificate and medal.
A number of participants attended special award ceremonies at Community Hub Central, where they were presented with their prizes by the Ceremonial Mayor of Hartlepool Councillor Sue Little, the Mayor's Consort Paul Little and Hartlepool-born children’s author Adam Bushnell, whose books include The Evil Unicorn of Doom, Blobfish and Unicorn and Quests in Epica.
Everyone who completed the challenge was entered into a draw to win a £20 gift voucher. The winners were Nina Smith (under-fives) and Naomhan Tumilty (five-plus).
The Summer Reading Challenge is developed by The Reading Agency and delivered in partnership with public libraries across the country.
The major increase in Hartlepool participation was made possible thanks to a successful funding bid by Hartlepool Borough Council to The Reading Agency, supported by The Julia Rausing Trust.
The funding enabled the Hartlepool Community Hubs and Libraries team to take reading activities beyond library walls and into schools and neighbourhoods across the borough to encourage more children to read for pleasure.
The school with the highest number of Summer Reading Challenge sign-ups among its pupils this year, St Bega's Primary School, will receive a visit from an author during the Northern Children's Book Festival in November.
There was extra reason to celebrate this year because, following their successful bid to The Reading Agency, Hartlepool Community Hubs were one of only five libraries around the UK to receive the gift of two pianos from the Lang Lang International Music Foundation in support of the challenge.
Dedicated introductions to the pianos and music-themed sessions helped children develop new skills, confidence and an interest in music, providing opportunities for children who may not otherwise have access to music.
Councillor Sue Little said: "We're delighted by the take-up of the Summer Reading Challenge this year. Congratulations to all our challenge champions on their outstanding achievement – I am so proud of them!
"A big thank you goes to the families and carers who have supported them - one of the best things you can do for a child's future is to encourage them to read every day, feeding their imagination, building their reading confidence and giving them one of the best foundations for success in life.
"We would also like to send a massive thank you to The Reading Agency and The Julia Rausing Trust for the funding which has enabled us to reach out and help many more children enjoy the magic of reading for pleasure.
“Special thanks go to the Lang Lang International Music Foundation for its wonderful gift of the two pianos, which will open up the joy of music to countless children in the years ahead.”
Adam Bushnell – who inspired the children with tales of his work as a writer – said: “Reading makes you happier, it makes you smarter and it helps you live longer as it helps reduce cognitive decline and stress - and of course it's a vital key skill for life.
"The best thing that parents and carers can do is to make reading fun and read regularly together, making home a place where books are welcome and also supporting their local library."