EDUCATION
CONNECTING L STORIES aunched in January 2021 and delivered by the National Literacy Trust, the Arts Council England-funded project ‘Connecting Stories’ has increased children and young people’s access to literary experiences and books. The Connecting Stories campaign extended across the nation and worked within the 14 local areas supported by the National Literacy Trust, including Hastings. A momentous 26 publishers and 55 authors supported the project, which engaged over 95,000 people. The National Literacy Trust Hub in Hastings was launched in January 2019, working with local partners and communities to raise awareness of the importance of literacy while improving school readiness in the early years, primary school reading levels and encouraging reading for pleasure. Eighteen schools in Sussex were supported by Connecting Stories
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Campaign Manager of ‘Connecting Stories’ Ali Hemsley explains how the National Literacy Trust have brought collaborated events to local children, that encourage them to embrace the joys of reading and writing through a calendar of exciting activities, including book donations and virtual event invitations. Hub partner and supporter Bloomsbury Publishing and two of their authors, Michelle Robinson and Lesley Parr, championed reading and creative writing in the Hastings community, alongside additional cross-Hub authors such as Matt Lucas, Children’s Laureate Cressida Cowell and Anthony Horowitz. To
further support the goal of encouraging children to become readers and writers, publisher Bloomsbury also donated more than 400 books to the Hastings area, on top of the thousands they donated to the town during the pandemic in 2020 Following the launch of Connecting Stories in spring, children in Hastings age 7 to 11 were invited to take part in a creative writing competition, with the theme ‘Discovery’. Their entries were displayed in an online exhibition, supported by Hastings Museum and Art Gallery, and published in an anthology. Local teachers declared that the exciting opportunity for children to see their work published made a ‘huge impact’ on improving the confidence of their classes, and provided a sense of purpose during a time of remote learning. When returning to school, children watched the virtual exhibition and launch video in assemblies and it
