Council
backs Bristol's 2005 Great Reading Adventure
Members of Bristol's Cabinet have once again given their backing to Bristol's
annual Great Reading Adventure – a city-wide initiative to get the
whole city reading and talking about the same book.
Now in its third successful year, Bristol's Great Reading Adventure encourages
readers of all ages and abilities to read for pleasure.
Over the next two months, Cabinet members will be joining thousands of
local people in reading The Siege, by Helen Dunmore – a
story of suffering and hardship during the siege of Leningrad. As well
as providing a focus for
learning about the events during the 900-day siege, the Great Reading
Adventure will encourage reminiscing and learning about Bristol's own
wartime experience.
Young people are being encouraged to read Carrie's War by Nina
Bawden and Tara's Tree House by Helen Dunmore, both of which
have Second World War themes. Nearly 80 schools are participating in the
project, with over 40 artists in residence sessions. School projects range
from writing poetry to learning to dance the Lindy Hop.
Council Leader, Peter Hammond said: "Bristol's Great Reading Adventure
has been – and continues to be – a huge success. Thousands
of people from all parts the city are looking forward to getting their
hands on a copy of The
Siege and reading this amazing story of war and its impact on the
lives of ordinary people.
"The Great Reading Adventure is however more than just a good read
– it's a chance for local people to explore their own past and find
out how our city survived its own siege – under the Blitz –
during the Second World War.
"For younger people in our schools and colleges it is a chance to
get involved in creative writing projects which will support the city's
celebrations marking Creative Bristol in 2005."
Notes to Editors:
This is the third Bristol Great Reading Adventure. In 2003 over 10,000
people read Treasure Island followed by The Day of the Triffids
in 2004.
Helen Dunmore said 'Previous Great Reading Adventures have appealed to
a wide cross-section of people in the city. I hope 2005 will see even
more people joining in, and an even wider range of participants.'
For further information about Bristol's Great Reading Adventure, contact
Andrew Kelly, Director tel 01275 370816 or 07778 932 778.
Launch of Bristol’s 2005 Great Reading Adventure
Bristol launches its third Great Reading Adventure today with a morning of commemoration and celebration to mark the sixtieth anniversary of the end of the Second World War. Bristolians will be reading Helen Dunmore’s The Siege in 2005.
Readings from the novel, as well as eyewitness accounts from the Bristol blitz, join dancers performing dance steps from the Second World War at the Watershed Media Centre in Bristol.
Bristol-based Helen Dunmore said today:
Bristol’s Great Reading Adventure has gone from strength to strength, and I am honoured and delighted that my books have been chosen for 2005. I hope that people in Bristol will get a lot of pleasure from their reading over the next two months, and will enjoy the themes which are being explored.
Helen Dunmore’s The Siege is a haunting story of suffering and hardship during the siege of Leningrad. As well as providing a focus for learning about the events during the 900-day siege, the Great Reading Adventure will encourage reminiscing and learning about Bristol’s own wartime experience. Lord Mayor Simon Cook, speaking on behalf of Bristol City Council, said:
Like Leningrad Bristol was under siege in the Second World War. The fantastic Bristol Great Reading Adventure will mean that as well as having the shared pleasure of reading and talking about the same book, Bristolians will be able to learn about their past.
Director of the project Andrew Kelly added: ‘We have designated 2005 as a year celebrating the creative people of Bristol. Helen has proved to be the perfect choice. So as well as remembering the Second World War, we can also celebrate the creativity that makes Bristol the wonderful city that it is today’
Young people in Bristol are being encouraged to read Carrie’s War by Nina Bawden and Tara’s Tree House by Helen Dunmore, both of which have Second World War themes. Over 70 schools are participating in the project, with over 40 artists in residence sessions. Projects range from writing poetry to learning to dance the Lindy Hop.
This is the third Bristol Great Reading Adventure. In 2003 over 10,000 people read Treasure Island followed by The Day of the Triffids in 2004. Helen Dunmore said ‘Previous Great Reading Adventures have appealed to a wide cross-section of people in the city. I hope 2005 will see even more people joining in, and an even wider range of participants.’
Contact:
Andrew Kelly, Director
Office: 01275 370816
Mobile: 07778 932 778
Home: 01225 470180
Notes to Editors
Helen Dunmore
Helen Dunmore has lived in Bristol for over 30 years. She is an award-winning author, winning the first Orange Prize for fiction for A Spell of Winter. She is a poet, writes for children and adults. Her other books include Talking to the Dead, Mourning Ruby and Snollygoster and other poems.
Launch Interviews
Helen Dunmore, Andrew Kelly and Councillor Simon Cook are available for interview between 9.00am and 10.00 and after 11.30am on launch day. Film and photographs of the launch can be taken.
The Bristol Great Reading Adventure
The Bristol Great Reading Adventure is an initiative of Bristol Cultural Development Partnership under the Creative Bristol initiative. Bristol Cultural Development Partnership is a partnership of Arts Council England, South West, Bristol City Council and Business West.
Each year, thousands of copies of the selected book are distributed free of charge to schools and colleges, libraries, reading groups, the business community and members of the public. Workshops, talks and film screenings linked to the book are arranged, and high quality support material, including readers’ and teachers’ guides, is produced. The website www.bristolreads.com contains news of the activities as well as extensive background material to the book.
The 2005 Great Reading Adventure forms part of a year-long celebration of creativity in Bristol, which will also include festivals, a major programme of art in schools and new projects to promote cultural activity throughout the city. It is organised under the banner of Creative Bristol, the initiative delivering the promise of Bristol’s short-listed 2008 Capital of Culture bid led by Bristol Cultural Development Partnership. Bristol was awarded £1,550,000 under the Urban Cultural Programme for its work on culture in urban areas. The grant will go towards an ambitious programme of events, festivals, celebrations, arts and heritage activity in the two years 2005 and 2006 led by Bristol Cultural Development Partnership (BCDP). The Great Reading Adventure is partly funded through the Millennium Commission/ Arts Council of England Urban Cultural Programme; the Arts Council of England through Grants for the Arts; and the Heritage Lottery Fund. Investment is also made by sponsorship and support in kind from local organisations and companies.
A summary of the results of the first two reading adventures follows.
Bristol's Great Reading Adventure: Statistics 2003-2004
Key statistics: Treasure Island, March 2003
8,000 copies of the Penguin Classic edition of Treasure Island and 7,000 copies of the special readers’ guide were distributed free of charge.
1,650 requests for a copy of the book were received from members of the public.
222 teachers’ packs containing books, guides and packs were distributed to schools.
Over 1,100 people borrowed Treasure Island from the Bristol library service during March 2003
The daily serialisation of the novel in the Bristol Evening Post is estimated to have had a potential readership of around 168,000 a day (51 episodes).
Treasure Island was in the top 10 best sellers list at Blackwell’s Bookshop on Park Street throughout March – topping the list in the final week, beating books by Jamie Oliver and Michael Moore.
All ages and all socio-economic groups embraced the project across the Bristol city-region.
The project was the topic of 17 national media stories, widespread trade and professional media coverage, over 40 features in the Bristol press, extensive local radio coverage, BBC Points West and HTV news items, and a feature on Radio 4’s A Good Read.
Nearly 96 per cent of those who expressed an opinion thought citywide reading projects were an excellent or good idea, and over 98 per cent were interested in participating in future events.
Key statistics:
The Day of the Triffids, January - March 2004
4,100 copies of the Penguin Classic edition of The Day of the Triffids and 10,000 of the special readers’ guide were distributed free of charge along with 1,000 simplified versions and 500 picture books.
3,618 requests for a copy of the book and/or guide were received from members of the public.
73 education packs containing multiple copies of books were distributed to schools and colleges.
Over 1,000 people borrowed the Penguin edition of The Day of the Triffids from the Bristol library service during January and February.
The comic serialisation in the Bristol Evening Post is estimated to have had a potential readership of around 216,000 people a day.
All ages and all socio-economic groups participated in the project across the Bristol city-region.
The project website had a total of 10,699 views between January and March.
The project was the topic of 14 national media stories, including BBC Breakfast News, You and Yours and Radio Five Live, widespread trade and professional media coverage, over 25 picture stories in the Bristol Evening Post, local radio and television items, and features on The Guardian and BBC websites.
Nearly 99 per cent of those who expressed an opinion thought citywide reading projects were an excellent or good idea, and over 98 per cent would consider participating in future events.
