Blackman backs National Year of Reading as government announces £27.5m for libraries

Last night the culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, announced a £27.5m package for libraries as the education department’s National Year of Reading 2026 kicked off last week with an event at the Emirates Stadium in London. Noughts & Crosses author and former children’s laureate Malorie Blackman is among a list of ambassadors backing the campaign.

The campaign follows research by the National Literacy Trust (NLT) that found reading enjoyment among children and young people is at its lowest recorded level, with just one in three of those aged eight to 18 reporting enjoying reading "very much" or "quite a lot". The year-long initiative aims to work with schools, communities, libraries and early years settings to boost reading for pleasure and to "give kids the best start in life." Blackman said: "It's about making reading seem as natural and everyday as breathing," and described how access to a local library first sparked her love of reading: "I used to live in my local library" and she did not visit a bookshop until she was 14 because she could not afford books.

The Year of Reading is the third such campaign after 1998 and 2008 but the first in the era of widespread smartphone use and streaming, and will focus on all forms of reading material.

Key Topics

Culture, Emirates Stadium, Malorie Blackman, Lisa Nandy, National Literacy Trust, Libraries