EDINBURGH SCHOOLS SET FOR LIBRARY ENERGISER
Survey of parents in the Edinburgh & Lothians reveals 47 per cent have at some point been concerned about school facilities
ScottishPower Foundation will celebrate its partnership with Edinburgh International Book Festival this week by launching Library Energiser, a brand new initiative giving primary schools across the city the opportunity to improve their reading provisions with a £2,000 investment and their very own book festival.
The initiative comes after a new survey of parents of children aged four and over in the Lothians found that almost half (47%) had at some point been concerned about facilities in their child’s school, while 97 per cent of Scottish residents view a well-equipped library as important to a child’s education.
The survey also revealed strong bias towards real books, with 85 per cent of those parents surveyed saying it was important for their children to read books in a paper format, as opposed to reading digitally.
In partnership with Edinburgh International Book Festival, ScottishPower Foundation is inviting primary schools across Edinburgh and the Lothians to submit an image of their current library or reading area along with 100 words on how they would like the space to feel in the future.
The winning entry will receive a £2,000 investment for their reading provisions, along with their very own mini book festival, featuring a visit from one of Scotland’s leading authors.
Launching the new initiative, acclaimed children’s author Vivian French, said: “Reading spaces are a truly wonderful idea. They say: we recognise that reading is an important occupation; we respect your right to read (enjoy!); and if you’re reading a book, you deserve to be comfortable.”
ScottishPower and now the ScottishPower Foundation is marking its tenth year of sponsoring Edinburgh International Book Festival.
Ann Loughrey, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at ScottishPower Foundation, said: “We’ve enjoyed an extremely successful partnership with Edinburgh International Book Festival over the years and we’re delighted to mark our ten years together with Library Energiser; a brand new initiative that spotlights schools’ reading environments.
“Reading provisions for Scotland’s young people are clearly important to parents all over the country and we look forward to celebrating with them when our Library Energiser winners are chosen later this year.”
Janet Smyth, Children’s Programme and Education Director at Edinburgh International Book Festival, said: “We rely so much on teachers and librarians to bring schools to experience and enjoy the Book Festival and this is a wonderful opportunity to support them and give children of all ages and backgrounds access to both contemporary and classic authors”
Entries should be submitted by email to libraryenergiser@stripecommunications.com by Friday 26 September, 2014. Terms and conditions for the competition are available at http://stripecommunications.com/news/scottishpower-foundation-library-energiser.
Photos Greg McVean
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
