Bestselling author Adele Parks has today pledged to spread a love of reading throughout her home town as she takes on her new role as Middlesbrough Reads ambassador.
Launched in 2013, Middlesbrough Reads is a National Literacy Trust campaign, run in partnership with Middlesbrough Council and the Middlesbrough Promise, to improve children and young people’s literacy in Middlesbrough.
To celebrate her new role, Parks – who was born and raised in Eaglescliffe – spent a day meeting children, parents, teachers and nurses who are supported by Middlesbrough Reads.
Starting at Easterside Academy, Parks took part in fantastic storytelling activities with a group of nursery children and their parents, accompanied by Headteacher Delyth Linacre and volunteers [photo 1]. The activities were part of the National Literacy Trust’s Early Words Together programme, which the nursery has been running for many years to give parents the skills, confidence and knowledge they need to support their child’s early language development at home.
Parks then headed to Newham Bridge Primary School’s vibrant library, where she met two pupil librarians who had taken part in the National Literacy Trust’s Young Readers Programme, which gives every participating pupil three brand-new books to read and keep [photo 2]. Adele also heard from Beverley Hewitt-Best (Headteacher) and Helen Ede (Deputy Headteacher and English Lead) about how the programme has ignited a love of reading across the school.
Finally, Adele went to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at James Cook University Hospital where she met nurses Sue Walker and Sue Thompson who support an innovative project as part of Middlesbrough Reads to provide new parents with books and advice on reading to help them bond with their premature babies while in hospital [photo 3].
Adele Parks said: “I am thrilled to be an ambassador for Middlesbrough Reads. The work the campaign is doing to help children and families discover the magic of stories, while also giving them the skills and confidence they need to read, is vital. I believe reading is a basic human right that ought to be available to everyone. In my role, I will do everything I can to spread a love of reading to children and families throughout my home town.”
Allison Potter, Middlesbrough Reads Manager, said: “Adele has been a fantastic supporter of the National Literacy Trust for many years, and we are thrilled to announce her as our ambassador for Middlesbrough Reads. Adele’s passion for books, children and family shines through everything she does, and she is wholly committed to supporting her home community. We can’t wait to start working together to bring the power of reading to more children and parents in Middlesbrough.”
Adele Parks’s nineteenth novel, Lies Lies Lies, was published on 5 September 2019 by HQ, HarperCollins in paperback, ebook and audiobook. In its first week of full sales it topped the charts and became a number 1 Sunday Times Bestseller. The chilling domestic noir explores the darkest corners of a relationship in freefall in a mesmerising tale of marriage and secrets.
To find out more about Middlesbrough Reads, visit: www.middlesbroughreads.org.uk