World Book Day
March 14, 2025Posted by:
On World Book Day, taking place in March we celebrate authors, illustrators, books and the joy of reading. Each year our dedicated teams organise events in prisons that are designed to encourage our learners to engage with the library and discover the joy of reading.
Many of the individuals we support arrive with reading and writing skills similar to those of an 11-year-old. By helping them learn to read and write, we’re opening doors to further education, job opportunities, and a brighter future after release.
We’re sharing some highlights from World Book Day 2025, which has been a huge success thanks to the dedication, enthusiasm and support of our teams. Our education programmes, libraries, and reading corners create welcoming spaces where people can build their confidence and improve their literacy skills.
HMP The Mount
The library was buzzing with activity for World Book Day at HMP The Mount. Prisoners took part in a quiz, a library scavenger hunt and completed an activity booklet designed to celebrate the joy of reading. It was fantastic to see so many people getting involved in enjoyable and engaging activities, testing their literary knowledge, challenging themselves and discovering new books.
The enthusiasm and high turnout made it clear just how valued the library is. Learners left with an improved knowledge of how the library works, and what it can offer them, making them much more likely to use the library in future – some didn’t want to leave when the event was over! The activities appealed to learners of all abilities and gave everyone a chance to explore the library and engage with our tutors.
HMP North Sea Camp
Our Business Tutor and our English Tutor joined forces with learners to create some fantastic work for World Book Day. Learners used a variety of books in business lessons to research new knowledge around marketing skills and to create material for their business concepts.
Learners in English used other books as inspiration to create their own short stories complete with cover artwork to share with the class.
HMP Lincoln
Currently 73% of prisoners at HMP Lincoln access the library, and our team are keen to share information and ensure everyone knows what the library can offer them. For World Book Day, our Prison Library Co-ordinator and Reading Specialist worked together and popped into classes and workshops to chat about the library and answer questions. It was really encouraging to see such a high level of engagement with the library, having the opportunity to get feedback from our learners on what they are finding most useful and what else they would like to see in the library was really valuable.
HMP Highpoint South
Learners at HMP Highpoint South celebrated ‘More than a Book Week’, putting their collective skills and creative efforts into writing a book called ‘2049’. Facilitated by our tutors, each class wrote a short story and the next class continued by writing the following chapter. The art department then created a bespoke front cover for the finished book.
This is a significant achievement for our learners, and the book is now available for all classes to read and share their love of reading, writing, and the creativity it has inspired.
Literacy matters
Research shows that one in five adults in the UK are functionally illiterate, and there is evidence that this proportion is rising. In prisons, the rate is 60%, and for care leavers, it's 40%. If you can't read, your chances of experiencing poverty, unemployment, and social exclusion rise five-fold. Your chances of experiencing mental health problems, going to prison, and dying younger rise ten-fold.
We’ve signed the Vision for Literacy Business Pledge with the National Literacy Trust to show our commitment to improving literacy for everyone, irrespective of their background. As part of our literacy project, our customer facing offices now have ‘Great British Read’ book nooks, which we are filling with books for customers and colleagues to borrow, swap, and share their love of reading.
March 14, 2025Posted by:
