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Barry chosen as 'reading town'
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| Jane Hutt AM, Gwerfyl Pierce Jones of the Welsh Books Council, and Dewi Thomas. |
BARRY is one of two Welsh towns selected for a special reading challenge, as part of the National Year of Reading in Wales 2008 - and will receive £20,000 to promote the reading campaign in the area.
Following bids by local authorities and a rigorous selection process, Barry was chosen, along with Llanelli, to lead the way in Wales.
The remaining 20 local authorities will each receive £500 to organise their own reading promotion.
Pioneered in America, the reading town campaign will see both communities selecting their own Welsh- and English-language titles to be promoted throughout the area.
A full programme of activities will then be arranged in order to encourage the public to read and discuss the individual books.
Gwerfyl Pierce Jones, Director of the Welsh Books Council, who are co-ordinating the Year in Wales on behalf of the Welsh Assembly Government, said: "We received a number of applications from local authorities outlining their plans to be the leading reading towns.
"The bids included numerous interesting proposals to increase the awareness of the benefits of reading and encourage people of all ages and backgrounds to pick up a book and to enjoy the pleasure of reading.''
Led by local co-ordinators, Barry will now launch programmes of activity and community involvement to encourage people within their local community to get on board and join the campaign.
Sian Jones, Chief Librarian for the Vale of Glamorgan Council, said: "We are delighted to have been successful in our bid to take part in the Reading Towns initiative.
"This is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the Year of Reading in Wales and to generate a programme of activities for readers in Barry and the Vale of Glamorgan.
"We will be planning a number of projects, including a creative writing project and an art project using the themes of the chosen books.
"We plan to hold a big weekend of events in the autumn based in the new County Library in Barry where people come together to enjoy a programme of author visits, workshops and other reader-focused activities. Our aim is simply to celebrate reading."
Education Minister, Jane Hutt, who is also Assembly Member for the Vale, said: "The announcement is great news for both towns, enabling them to organise events and activities inspiring people of all ages to pick up a book.
"Reading is a vital life skill and with so many exciting events taking place across Wales as part of the National Year of Reading, I am sure many more people will realise the joy and pleasure from the written word."
7:21am Monday 12th May 2008
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