In May last year, I teamed up with Dolly Parton's Imagination Library to launch "Burnley and Padiham's Imagination Library" in a bid to foster a love of reading and help increase literacy levels across Burnley and Padiham.
The Dolly Parton Imagination Library was started by international country singer Dolly Parton in her home state of Tennessee in 1995 to provide children up to the age of 5 a free book in the post. It aims to encourage parents to read with their children on a regular basis and I was thrilled to be able to bring this to our borough.
75 children from 5 nurseries in Burnley and Padiham have each been receiving a monthly book in the post completely free of charge, with the costs being covered by contributions from myself and and local businesses. And I’m really thankful to James Hall & Co for their initial sponsorship to get this amazing initiative up and running
But I'm always on the lookout for those who want to get involved to help me provide more free books to nursery age children in our borough. If that sounds like something you'd be interested in then please do email me on antony.higginbotham.mp@parliament.uk
Jackie Clarey who teaches at Rosegrove Nursery School, one of the first nurseries to benefit from the scheme said:
We are very excited about joining the Imagination Library Initiative. This funding has provided a great opportunity for several of our children to experience sharing quality books in their homes. The stories can also be enjoyed by other people in their family, it’s important for children to see their parents enjoying reading.
We know that Imagination Library will support many areas of language development including speaking, listening and concentration.