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Nottingham #Take10ToRead for wellbeing on Mental Health Awareness Week
Local schools join Ant & Dec as they “Take 10” to read in Mental Health Awareness Week
At 10am on Tuesday 10 May, TV presenters Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly encouraged children, communities, and businesses all over the country to drop everything and take 10 minutes to read for the National Literacy Trust’s #Take10ToRead challenge, which highlights the link between reading for pleasure and mental wellbeing. More than 55,000 children took part in this year’s #Take10ToRead moment.
Children from local schools in Nottingham tuned into the digital event which saw Ant & Dec introduce more than 55,000 pupils nationwide to Propa Happy (Farshore Books), their debut book supporting children to nurture their wellbeing every day, with author proceeds going to the NSPCC.
Ant & Dec partnered with the National Literacy Trust on the #Take10ToRead challenge as part of UK Mental Health Awareness Week (9 – 15 May), and the event took place in the lead up to the Take 10 moment. The session included a sneak peek of Propa Happy and the book’s illustrator, Katie Abey, led a draw-a-long for children to share what makes them feel happy. The book also launched the duo’s Pass the Positivity Campaign, a nationwide positivity project inviting school-aged children to share what makes them feel good – like reading! Nottingham pupils were encouraged to give it a go themselves and have the chance to submit their work to the Propa Happy Pass the Positivity Campaign by 20 May at www.propahappy.co.uk.
The National Literacy Trust already has a close relationship with Nottingham; the charity’s Read On Nottingham campaign aims to improve the life chances of the city’s children and young people by supporting them at crucial stages of their literacy development. It is delivered in partnership with Nottingham City Council, Small Steps Big Changes, and The National Lottery Community Fund.
Alongside the schools event with Ant & Dec, Nottingham put on several community Tale 10 moments in local libraries in the city. Volunteer Literacy Champions visited St Ann's Valley Centre and Hyson Green Libraries to encourage local families to take part in the #Take10ToRead challenge during Mental Health Awareness Week and beyond.
The #Take10ToRead challenge encourages schools, businesses and communities to stop what they’re doing and take the time to read and focus on their wellbeing every day. Research from the National Literacy Trust shows that reading can be an effective way of helping people care of their mental health and wellbeing – and it only takes 10 minutes a day to see the benefits, including boosting your mood, reducing stress levels and improving memory and concentration.
This Take 10 moment, during Mental Health Awareness Week, feels even more important give the stress and loneliness brought on by two years of lockdowns. Further research from the National Literacy Trust has shown that 3 on 5 (59.3%) of children told us during lockdown that reading made them feel better, and 3 in 10 (31.6%) said that reading helped them when they felt sad because they could not see their family or friends. Moments like the #Take10ToRead campaign, which encourage reading for every day, can make a real difference to the lives of children all over the UK.
Ant McPartlin says: “We love the National Literacy Trust’s Take 10 campaign so were delighted to be able to take part and encourage children and young people to take time for their wellbeing.”
Declan Donnelly adds: “In these difficult times, this is more important than ever and #Take10ToRead is an excellent way to reach young people from many different communities across the UK.”
Charlotte Malik, Nottingham Hub Manager at the National Literacy Trust said: “Take 10 is a campaign that is very close to our hearts here at Read On Nottingham – supporting children in their mental health and wellbeing through the simple act of taking 10 minutes every day to read. School children, businesses and libraries in our city joined the moment on 10 May and we are encouraging everyone in Nottingham to continue to Take 10 to read every single day and embed the joy and positive feelings that reading for pleasure gives children, young people and adults, alike.”
We are inviting everyone to share their Take 10 challenge on social media by using the hashtag #Take10ToRead. Take 10 is part of the National Literacy Trust’s Connecting Stories initiative, which addresses the literacy attainment gap across the UK with Arts Council England, and is proudly supported by Wesleyan.
Ant & Dec’s Propa Happy is out on 26 May and is available from all good bookshops and online. To find out more about the book and take part in the Pass the Positivity campaign visit propahappy.com.