Hundreds of books donated to Priti’s reading scheme
Witham MP, Priti Patel, has received a donation of several hundred books from the charity World Book Day for her annual Get Witham Reading initiative. Priti will distribute the books to children and young people who are participating in this year’s event at local schools across her constituency next month.
Priti received the donation at a World Book Day reception in Parliament to celebrate the work done to promote the importance of books and reading for pleasure.
Speaking after the reception, Priti said: “I am immensely grateful to World Book Day for their generous donation and support for my Get Witham Reading event. These books will put smiles on the faces of a lot of children in my constituency this year.
“Every year World Book Day promotes the significant benefits of reading and campaigns to revive reading as a national pastime. I hope these books and the activities planned for Get Witham Reading 2019 will inspire children and young people across my constituency to develop a love of reading and continue reading in their spare time.”
Kirsten Grant, Director of World Book Day, said: “World Book Day books have been instrumental in encouraging children and young people to read for pleasure for over 20 years. Developing a love of reading and sharing stories is one of the most important areas of a child’s development, which can fundamentally affect their future life chances, so we are delighted to support the Get Witham Reading campaign, to share the transformative power of books and the magic of reading.”
This year’s Get Witham Reading event is taking place on Friday 12 July 2019 and nine schools in the Witham constituency are taking part: Powers Hall Academy, Templars Academy, Silver End Academy, Tiptree Heath Primary School, St. Luke’s Primary School (Tiptree), Howbridge Junior School, Terling Primary School, White Notley Primary School and New Rickstones Academy.