Skip to content

Authors support BBC campaign to improve literacy

Andrew Turner
BBC News, Norfolk
Reporting fromGreat Yarmouth
Chris Goreham
BBC News, Norfolk
Andrew Turner/BBC A mother and her daughter read a book. The mother has long black hair, and is wearing a brown/rust coloured top. She is holding a book that her young daughter appears to be reading. The child has shoulder length dark hair, and is wearing a white top and a turquoise sun hat. There is a book in the foreground, with the word "dinosaur" visible. A blue sofa is to the centre right of the image, and book shelves to the left.Andrew Turner/BBC
Page Turners launched on BBC Radio Norfolk in the week that Great Yarmouth's new library was officially opened in The Place

Celebrity authors and TV personalities have backed a local BBC radio campaign to boost childhood literacy.

According to the Office for National Statistics, one in four children in Norfolk do not meet the expected standard in reading by the time they leave primary school.

Page Turners launched on BBC Radio Norfolk on Monday, coinciding with the official opening of a new library in Great Yarmouth.

Author and TV presenter Ben Garrod said reading "should be inspiring" and actor Stephen Fry said "reading is just the most exciting thing in the world".

Shaun Whitmore/BBC Prof Ben Garrod, with round tortoise-shell glasses, and medium length dark hair swept over to his left, stands by the sea in Great Yarmouth. He has a stubbly beard and moustache, and he is wearing a blue jacket. The sky behind him is blue with a couple of clouds at low level.Shaun Whitmore/BBC
Prof Ben Garrod says humans are a storytelling species and it is vital children learn how to read

University of East Anglia lecturer Prof Garrod, a presenter of several BBC wildlife programmes, has also written books aimed at children.

"We, in so many ways, see reading as a chore; it's something you have to do for homework and all these things," he explained.

"It should be fun, it should be engaging, it should be inspiring."

As part of the Page Turners project, he helped children write an ending to their own stories.

"We've all got stories within us; our species is a storytelling species so giving these kids that chance to tell their own stories is really important."

Hannah McKay/Reuters Sir Stephen Fry, with grey hair and a clean shaven face, dressed in a blue and white striped shirt and tie and dark jacket. The backdrop is in soft focus, with some yellow, green and pink shades visible.Hannah McKay/Reuters
Sir Stephen Fry told BBC Radio Norfolk "reading is just the most exciting thing in the world"

Norfolk broadcaster and writer Sir Stephen said his favourite book to read as a child was Greek Gods and Heroes: For Young Readers, by Robert Graves.

"What I love about books generally is how they take you into another world in a way that's somehow far more collaborative than you can ever get with television and computers.

"It's you and the author and this world that you've entered."

Andrew Turner/BBC The Place, Great Yarmouth. It is a four storey building with dormers and a domed tower with a flagstaff atop. The upper storeys feature white painted windows and bay windows on the first floor. The logo of The Place, and other signage adorns the fascia. A woman in yellow is walking past, and other shops are visible in the distance.Andrew Turner/BBC
Great Yarmouth Library relocated into The Place, which was officially opened on Tuesday with an outside broadcast on BBC Radio Norfolk

Anne Thorley is the co-founder and chairwoman of the Norfolk Reading Project which provides free training to reading volunteers.

She said the Page Turners project was "really fantastic".

"The pandemic certainly played a part because that was two years disrupted education and missed early years opportunities, but there are lots of obstacles including hunger, lack of sleep, which can affect concentration.

"Smart phones, tablets; have now replaced traditional reading material for some generations and many households don't have books at home."

Katrin Oldridge Katrin Oldridge has red coloured hair, and is smiling, looking directly at the camera. She is wearing a white top, to the left of her head is a wind chime, and she is standing near a brown boarded fence in a garden. Behind her is a bamboo-type plant and a plastic greenhouse.Katrin Oldridge
Katrin Oldridge from the Wensum Trust says many children have been affected by imbalances that affect life chances

Katrin Oldridge, a literary specialist at the Wensum Trust English Hub, said literacy abilities were linked to deprivation levels in Norfolk - which she said were higher than the national average.

She said: "Too many of our residents are unable to access good jobs, healthcare and the chance to learn new skills and like many other rural and coastal areas, Norfolk has faced historical imbalances of underfunding.

"It can, and must, do better."

'Busy lives'

BookTrust is the UK's largest children's reading charity and tries to get children reading as young as possible.

Chief executive Diane Gerald said Page Turners was a "great initiative".

"We can see from the data that parents are struggling to find the time to read with their children," he said.

"If I can put it more positively, all the benefits of reading mean if we can just support parents, it makes such a difference to their children.

"I think the reality is people have very busy lives. We all know it's tough out there; people juggling lots and lots of things going on, and maybe we are all spending too much time on our screen.

"Maybe it's the grown ups spending time on their screen and not showing their children that they're reading too."

The new library in Great Yarmouth has been built as a partnership between East Coast College and the University of Suffolk.

Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.