Former Coronation Street star Julie Hesmondhalgh read a children’s book at Salford’s We Invented the Weekend Festival as volunteers and local communities gathered to celebrate the National Year of Reading.
Organisers said the event celebrated the power of sharing stories and food to bring communities together as a campaign to get people reading more sweeps across the nation.
The colourful backdrop of Salford’s free annual We Invented the Weekend Festival provided the perfect environment to host a picnic where former Coronation Street actress Hesmondhalgh gave a special reading of Pat Thompson’s children’s book ‘Daft That Fat Cat’.
The Big Lunch, which was started by the Eden Project, encourages people across the UK to have lunch with their neighbours for a few hours of community, friendship and fun on the first weekend of June.
At the event the charity urged people to sign up to become Literacy Champions and help to progress the National Year of Reading as part of its drive to recruit 100,000 volunteers to inspire communities to pick up a book instead of turning to other forms of entertainment.
Literacy Champions across Manchester and Salford support reading through a range of activities, from workplace initiatives to family learning sessions and national events such as World Book Day. They aim to promote a love of reading, writing, speaking and listening in their communities.
Jill Connolly, Senior Project Manager at the National Literacy Trust said: “The Big Lunch event was a fantastic opportunity to celebrate our incredible volunteers and the meaningful difference they make in communities across Manchester and Salford.
“We are always looking for more Literacy Champions to join the team – as trusted voices in their local community, their local insights and experiences enable us to grow our impact faster and extend our reach further. Come and join us in the National Year of Reading!”
