Local children have taken part in a reading event at Parkgate Shopping which encouraged them to develop a love of reading. The event was part of the National Literacy Trust’s Young Readers Programme, supported by Parkgate Shopping and one of its owners, British Land, aimed at improving the literacy levels of children aged 11 and under.

Three fun and engaging literacy-focused sessions were attended by pupils from St Ann’s Junior and Infant School, Thrybergh Primary School and Canklow Woods Primary in Rotherham. The final event saw the children visit the shopping park to take part in a reading session to build upon their learning in a leisure environment, before choosing the last of three free books to take home to keep.

The session was hosted by Yorkshire author and storyteller, Gez Walsh, who brought stories to life with an enthralling performance, aimed at showing children how reading can help them to explore new and fantastic worlds, bringing their imaginations alive. Observing this special event was Cllr Maggi Clark, Mayor of Rotherham, and her Consort, Mr Peter Clark.

The communities team at ASDA Living hosted a special team working session, where the children were shown how, by combining their collective talents, they can create some very special shapes from spaghetti and marshmallow.

Sarah Benger from St Ann’s said: “ Bringing the world of books and words to and beyond the classroom is so important to our children. They have not only thoroughly enjoyed their visit to the Park, but it has definitely made a difference to the way they now regard books and reading, and I am pleased to say that many of them are now avid readers.”

Corinna Halder, Year 3 Teacher from Canklow Woods said: “The storytelling was terrific and really got all the children involved in thinking about the power and value of words. They will remember this visit for all the right reasons. Thank you for organising things so carefully, and for making us so welcome and safe.”

Janet Drury, Deputy Manager at Parkgate Shopping, said: “We were pleased to welcome children from local schools to the centre for the final National Literacy Trust reading session, as we look to do our bit to address the important issue of young people’s literacy, and help prevent low literacy from putting them at a disadvantage. It was great to see the children having so much fun during the storytelling activities and learning about reading for enjoyment.

“In addition to our direct work with the schools involved, we’re also pleased to be offering a host of online resources for parents to access via our website, underlining our commitment to improving skills across the board.”