The Reading Agency is delighted that bestselling novelist
and former SAS soldier Andy McNab will lead its 2013 Six Book Challenge to help
get even more adults reading more. He will be meeting Six Book Challenge
participants at events all over the UK and all completers will receive a
certificate signed by Andy, in his role as 2013 Challenge ambassador.
With new materials for the 2013 Six Book Challenge
available to order now, Andy is hoping the 2013 Challenge will beat this year’s
record-breaking results, which have seen 23,500 people sign up so far.
The Six Book Challenge encourages less confident readers
to develop a new reading habit and improve their skills at the same time.
Participants are invited to pick six reads of their
choice and complete a reading diary in order to receive incentives along the
way, a certificate and the chance to enter a national prize draw. Ninety per
cent of survey respondents this year said that they were more confident about
reading after taking part in the Six Book Challenge.
Andy McNab says: “I’m a perfect example of how reading
can change your life. I had the reading age of an 11 year old when I was 17 and
I only became a confident reader when I joined the Army. But once I started I couldn’t stop – and
that’s what the Six Book Challenge is all about.”
Launched in 2008, the annual Six Book Challenge is run by
independent charity The Reading Agency to help tackle the UK’s continuing
skills deficit. Recent Government figures show that 15% (5.1 million) of the
working age population in England are still at or below the literacy level
expected of an 11 year old. (See “Notes to editors”.)
So far this year, 12,000 adult readers have signed up
through public libraries, 6,000 through further education and sixth form
colleges,
4,000 through prisons and 1,500 through workplaces.
Forty-four organisations have won one of the Six Book Challenge’s new gold,
silver and bronze awards for their number of completers, with Northampton
College, Brent Libraries and Blaenau Gwent Libraries winning gold. Completer Yvonne Hirst, a cleaning supervisor
at De Montfort University, won the 2012 Six Book Challenge prize draw trip to
London, and three runners-up have been given Kobo eReaders.
“It’s brilliant to have Andy McNab’s support because he
know what it’s like to struggle with reading and can talk about how he’s turned
that round. We’re delighted that Kobo are donating prizes again and we’ve got
an ambitious new partnership with the Rugby League World Cup 2013 which we’ll
be releasing details of soon. The Six Book Challenge is definitely on the move
in its sixth year,” says The Reading Agency’s adult literacy specialist
Genevieve Clarke.
‘Andy McNab’ is the pseudonym of a former Special Air
Service (SAS) soldier. He first came to public prominence with Bravo Two Zero,
his account of the failed SAS patrol for which he was awarded the Distinguished
Conduct Medal in 1991, to add to medals he had won previously in action,
becoming the British Army’s most highly decorated serving soldier when he
finally left the SAS in February 1993. He has written several non-fiction
books, plus a series of thrillers featuring Nick Stone and two series of young
adult books.
His new thriller Red Notice will be published in October
and a third Quick Read title next February.
• There will be
Six Book Challenge training day for practitioners on
Friday 9 November 2012, plus a programme of half-day
networking events around the UK. For more details, please contact Jenny Warner
on jenny.warner@readingagency.org.uk
or 0207 324 2545
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