Stockton shopping centres are producing a book of children’s stories in aid of the reading charity Bookmark.
Castlegate and Wellington Square shopping centres have teamed up and are producing a book called Stockton Stories with the aim of raising money for the reading charity Bookmark.
The shopping centres are inviting local children to be a part of the book asking them to share their experiences over the past year.
“The last year has been an interesting one, to put it mildly, the coronavirus pandemic has thrown a lot of challenges at us and we have had to make changes to our normal everyday lives. We have been amazed with how well everybody has coped with these unprecedented times, especially children” said Chantal Taylor, Marketing Manager at Castlegate Shopping Centre and Wellington Square.
“In years to come, covid-19 will be a distant memory, so we thought that creating a compilation book of different memories from the last year would be a great way to capture the experiences to be remembered in years to come and be a piece of Stockton history” she added.
Children are invited to submit stories, poems or drawings of their experiences of coronavirus and the effects it had on them which can then be handed in at either Castlegate or Wellington Square.
The pieces of writing can be in whatever format the children would like to use to express how they found the last year. From funny limericks of Zoom calls gone wrong or a haiku about home-schooling hysterics, to more serious stories about having to spend time apart from loved ones. The competition is their chance to tell their story, their way.
The centre teams will then pick 50 entries out of all the submissions which will be published in a story book! The author of each published piece will receive a £10 National Book Token and a copy of the book to keep. There is also a prize of £100 worth of books for the three schools that submit the most entries.
The remaining copies of the books will be sold at Castlegate and Wellington Square to raise money for Bookmark – the Reading Charity and help improve children’s literacy skills in the area.
Corporate Partnerships Executive Laura Burke said: “With more children than ever needing help with their reading this year, we’re thrilled to be a part of Stockton Stories and are really looking to reading some of the children’s writing about their experiences during lockdown. A big thank you from us here at Bookmark and on behalf of the children who will get extra support.”
For more details about ‘Stockton Stories’ and to submit your child’s entry visit the centres’ websites; www.castlegateshoppingcentre.com and www.wellingtonshops.co.uk