Pupils from three of our partner primary schools celebrated all things reading and writing with a special event at Old Trafford ahead of Children’s Reading Week.

Young people from Divine Mercy Primary School, Primrose Hill Primary School and St Philips C of E Primary School visited Old Trafford where they took part in educational workshops with Read Manchester.

In addition to the workshops – delivered by Actiphons, poet Griot Gabriel and Show Racism the Red Card – our participants also enjoyed a talk with author A.M. Dassu, who distributed free copies of her children’s novel Kicked Out.

The children also enjoyed views of the pitch as they met club mascot, Fred the Red, as part of a spectacular day to inspire them about the importance of reading.

Chase, 10, from Primrose Hill Primary School, said: “We learned about reading being a superpower. The more you read, the cleverer you can become, even if you just learn a few more words than you did yesterday.”

Meanwhile, St Philips C of E Primary School pupil Jahvel, also 10, added: “The atmosphere was crazy, we got to go in the stadium, I liked having the opportunity to be here and I’m so grateful.

“I’m going to read lots more, and the book we got, Kicked Out, it looks really good and I think I’m going to enjoy it.”

Read Manchester has provided the Foundation with almost 12,000 books to distribute to our young people from the start of the 2021/22 season. Those books, with a collective value of just over £71,000, have been given out to pupils between from Year 4 and Year 7 in 45 of our partner schools.

Aaron Liburd, one of the Foundation’s Primary Education Officers, said: “We are pleased to have been working with Read Manchester, as our collaborative work has really allowed young people to advance their reading ability.

“Encouraging children to read and providing them with free books helps them to learn important skills for both inside and outside the classroom, supporting their mental wellbeing while hopefully fostering the start of a lifelong passion for reading, too.

“Bringing children to Old Trafford with A. M. Dassu is so powerful – using the aspirational environment of the stadium can help children to understand the importance of reading and motivate them to pursue their goals both in school and beyond in wider life.”