đ° Adult Literacy News Summary
Reading coaching charity expands to Rugby
01-Feb-2026 - UK
A unique charity which provides free, confidential, one-to-one reading coaching for adults has expanded into Rugby. Since it was founded in 2023, Read Easy Mid Warwickshire has helped dozens of adults in Leamington, Warwick and Kenilworth with their reading â transforming their lives in the process. Vicky Fletcher, Team Leader of Read Easy Mid Warwickshire, said: âIâm thrilled that we can now offer our service to adults in Rugby and I would like to encourage anyone who needs help to come forward.
Read moreBorn & Read in Suffolk celebrates the joy of reading
30-Jan-2026 - UK
Reading is a superpower. Children who read for pleasure develop stronger literacy skills, greater empathy, improved wellbeing, higher confidence and a deeper aptitude for learning, according to research from the National Literacy Trust. Reading is also the single strongest factor in shaping a childâs future life chances â more influential even than socioeconomic background or parentsâ levels of education. And itâs not just children who benefit.
Read moreRead Easy group calling for volunteers and funding support
29-Jan-2026 - UK
A group is calling for more volunteers and funding to help improve adult literacy across East Devon. Read Easy North, East and West Devon, a volunteer-led organisation supporting adults in Devon to learn to read, is currently assisting around 50 adults through its free one-to-one coaching scheme. Joanna Clarke, fundraiser at Read Easy, said: "We support people of all ages and backgrounds.
Read moreCutting town's library hours would be 'massive blow'
29-Jan-2026 - UK
Campaigners are objecting to proposals to cut library opening times in part of Devon from 21 hours a week to six. The county council wants to reduce Northam Library's hours to two mornings a week. Torridge district councillor Peter Hames said it could mean a year of "reduced reading" rather than the 2026 National Year of Reading, a UK-wide initiative.
Read moreSurrey Libraries go all in for the National Year of Reading 2026
29-Jan-2026 - UK
Throughout 2026, Surrey Libraries will host a vibrant calendar of events and activities to celebrate reading in all its forms. Each month, one of our main libraries will take the lead on a key theme linked to the campaign and all 52 libraries in Surrey will join in with a host of themed activities and events, workshops, and family-friendly sessions to engage and inspire readers of all ages. February will see Redhill library host a âLove Your Libraryâ family fun day on Saturday 14 February.
Read more"Donât google the Beckhams!": How to read more, according to Britainâs top authors
28-Jan-2026 - UK
In a world where screen time dominates a dwindling attention economy, readers are in serious danger of becoming a dying breed. Recreational reading among children and teenagers in the UK has fallen to its lowest point in two decades, with just one-third of eight- to 18-year-olds saying they enjoy reading in their free time â a 36 per cent decline since 2005. Adults are not much better: only around half of us regularly pick up a book, and even fewer parents like to read to their young kids.
Read moreFrom print to playlists: Can listening bring people back to books?
28-Jan-2026 - USA
On a recent evening in New York, a popular streamer read aloud from a novel to tens of thousands of live viewers. Around the same time in Delhi, commuters tuned into audiobooks amidst traffic. In Europe, audiobook revenue is rising sharply, and publishers are increasingly treating audio formats as core to their strategy. These scenes may look disconnected, but together they suggest a global shift in how people encounter stories.
Read moreBernardine Evaristo renews call to diversify school curriculum in England
27-Jan-2026 - UK
Author says pace of change in GCSE English literature texts is too slow and tide is turning against inclusion. The Booker prize-winning author Bernardine Evaristo has called for renewed efforts to diversify the school curriculum in England, warning that young people are growing up in a society where âdoors are closingâ and the tide is turning against inclusion.
Read moreSuccess for learners at the Bury Adult Learning Service
26-Jan-2026 - UK
According to the latest figures, 86 per cent of those who completed their learning journey with Bury Adult Learning Service last year declared they had either gone into further education or work. The service, which reached 1,210 learners in the past year, offers a range of daytime and evening courses including English, maths, ESOL, IT and digital skills, and employability training.
Read moreChichester goes âAll Inâ for reading, as city joins 2026 National Year of Reading
26-Jan-2026 - UK
Chichesterâs Year of Reading is led by charity Childrenâs BookFest alongside partners Chichester Festival Theatre and Chichester BID. The campaign aims to bring together the work that many organisations already deliver, creating a joined-up programme of activity through 2026 that supports reading for pleasure, storytelling, literacy confidence and community connection.
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