'Real Heroes Read Books' campaign relaunches to help Cornish children

It is all about helping children gain essential communication skills needed for starting school

Author: Sarah YeomanPublished 7th May 2022

A campaign to help children gain essential communication skills needed for starting school has relaunched in Cornwall.

'Real Heroes Read Books' features local people reading bedtime stories, thanks to support from famous authors and publishers.

Cornwall Council originally launched the programme in 2019 and the videos were shared on social media.

Cabinet Member for Children and Families Barbara Ellenbroek said: “We all want the best for our children; supporting them to take every opportunity and we can do this by supporting the development of their language skills. Sadly, too many children are starting school without these – and all too often, if there’s a gap at the very start of school, it tends to persist, and grow.

“The Real Heroes Read Books campaign is designed to inspire children into reading and using their imagination and will tackle the barriers some parents face in supporting their child’s learning, including time, confidence and ideas of things to do.”

This year a large number of local authors are reading their own stories, as well as inspirational people from around Cornwall, including a female firefighter and the Director of Children’s Services Meredith Teasdale.

Meredith said: “We are really excited about the opportunity to support all families to have fun reading and encouraging their children to learn to love and explore books and in doing so, to develop a love of language which will help them throughout life”

You can find more information on Real Heroes Read Books here.

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