Press release —
Story stickers on buses aim to boost literacy levels in the North East
Go North East has added story prompts to buses across the region, as part of a campaign to reverse the decline in reading for pleasure and boost children’s literacy levels in the North East, where 1 in 5 children aged 5 to 8 don't have a book of their own at home.
The creative story prompts can be found on the back of seats on some of the region’s busiest bus routes and aim to get families and children talking about stories and reading.
The prompts are part of the National Year of Reading, a major campaign led by the Department for Education and the National Literacy Trust, aiming to encourage more people to make reading part of their everyday lives.
Over the summer holidays, Go North East collaborated with Seven Stories and the National Literacy Trust to host three storytelling sessions on an open top bus outside Seven Stories in Ouseburn. The Story Bus events were free to attend.
Daniel Laird, Commercial Director, at Go North East, said: “We’re really pleased to be supporting the National Year of Reading - bus journeys are a great opportunity to take a break from screens and read a book or come up with stories with your children.
“It was fantastic to offer free storytelling sessions on our open top bus, creating a unique and affordable way to engage young children with reading. Children also travel for free on our service throughout the summer holidays, giving families a chance to explore the many wonderful libraries and bookshops around the region.”
Lucy Reeves, Project Officer at the National Literacy Trust, said: “It has been wonderful working with Go North East to spread the joy of reading across the North East. The storytelling stickers have opened up more opportunities for children and families to engage with reading and storytelling in the small moments of daily life. Go North East have embraced the Go All In message to bring reading opportunities into new spaces, for example on our local buses!”
Creating opportunities for reading and storytelling is particularly important in the North East where child literacy levels are among the lowest in the country and 1 in 5 state primary schools do not have a library compared with only 1 in 20 in the South.
The Toon Tour, Go North East’s open top bus sightseeing service, stops right outside Seven Stories and runs until 27 September.
Find out more about Go North East’s fares and to plan your journey on their website.
