MARCH 2002
WORLD BOOK DAY BOOSTS SUPPORT FOR BOOK AID INTERNATIONAL
Over 100 schools in the UK are participating in events to raise funds for Book Aid International on World Book Day, Thursday 14th March. The charity urgently needs funds to support reading and education to combat major book shortages in Africa.
Book Aid International is a designated charity for World Book Day. School children have raised over £150,000 for this cause since 1998, helping to make more than 100,000 books available to readers in Africa and beyond. Book sales, sponsored reads and sponsored fancy dress are among the fundraising activities being held across the country. Details of two typical World Book Day events follow:
Hammicks bookshop in Cheltenham is organising a poetry competition for schools across the whole of Gloucestershire. A collection of the best entries will be sold locally with proceeds going to Book Aid International. A large poetry performance event is planned at Cheltenham Town Hall on March 12th in conjunction with the Cheltenham Literary Festival. Local performance poets will be taking part and there will be a presentation on the work of Book Aid International.
In York, Upper Poppleton Infants School is planning a week of events around World Book Day. The school is writing a "rolling" story – this will be started by the Nursery class, who will then pass it on to the next class who will add to it and so on. They are also organising a book sale to raise funds for Book Aid International and a visit to their local library where the librarian will read the children stories from around the world. Children will also be encouraged to come to school dressed as characters from their favourite books and will enjoy an afternoon of reading with their families.
Support has also been extended to Book Aid International in the shape of words of endorsement from several well known authors. Philip Pullman, author of The Amber Spyglass, Whitbread Book of the Year 2001, writes "I can hardly think of anything more valuable than to encourage, in practical ways, the spread of learning and literacy throughout the world. Books are the keys to intellectual and moral freedom."