Go All In: National Year of Reading launched with high-profile ambassadors

The government and the National Literacy Trust have launched the National Year of Reading, a year-long campaign called Go All In, unveiled on Tuesday at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium and backed by figures including Leah Williamson, Michael Morpurgo, Julia Donaldson and Richard Osman.

Organisers say the campaign aims to reverse a "worrying decline" in reading enjoyment among children and young people: just one in three 8- to 18-year-olds say they enjoy reading in their spare time, only 26% of boys read for pleasure compared with 39% of girls, and more than a quarter of children are leaving primary school having not reached the reading age of an 11-year-old.

The initiative brings together schools, families, libraries, businesses and cultural organisations and lists ambassadors such as Williamson, Osman, Cressida Cowell, George the Poet and Paterson Joseph. Launching the initiative, the education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, said reading had been central to her own childhood and described reversing the decline as "a national mission", urging families to "read together for just 10 minutes a day".

Key Topics

Culture, National Literacy Trust, Bridget Phillipson, Leah Williamson, Richard Osman, Emirates Stadium