Reading Emergency
Liverpool Reads Launch 15th September 2009
Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service and The Reader Organisation joined forces – fire officers and author, fire engines and books – to attend a very different kind of emergency!
In this fast-paced, multimedia world, less and less people are picking up books and it’s time there was some action to get people reading.
On Tuesday 15th September, author of The Savage, David Almond, illustrator Dave McKean, Deputy Chief Fire Officer Mike Hagen and Director of The Reader Organisation, Jane Davis, along with trainee firefighters, helped to load up fire engines with free copies of this year’s Liverpool Reads book, The Savage, and began the six month quest to get them to communities across Merseyside.
What better place to host the first stage of the reading emergency than the home of the city’s books - Central Library? David Almond and Dave McKean met with children from city centre schools to talk about The Savage and sign their free copies. They also visited pupils at Palmerston School and St John Bosco School to get an insight into what the book means to the children of Merseyside.
Tranmere Rovers Manager John Barnes visited pupils at Weatherhead High School, Media Arts College on the Wirral to talk about the importance of reading for people of all ages and in all walks of life.
Deputy Chief Fire Officer Mike Hagen said: “We are delighted to be involved in such an exciting and valuable campaign. We are fortunate that our staff are seen as excellent role models in all parts of our community. This initiative allows us to use that position to influence people who would not normally be interested in books to get ‘all fired up’ about reading and story telling.”
Director of The Reader Organisation, Jane Davis said: “Reading for pleasure is more important in determining life chances than the economic status of your family, but year on year fewer young people are enjoying reading. That’s the emergency. Books are for everyone, but boys in particular need to be encouraged to enjoy great stories, so who better to help with that than the Fire Officer readers?”