Star date: 22nd February 2015

AS SALFORD CHILD POVERTY HITS 50% IN SOME AREAS, WOOD STREET LAUNCHES BOOK APPEAL

The ace Wood Street Mission has launched an appeal for donations of books and money to help encourage Salford children living in poverty to engage in education to improve their life chances.

Last week, the Mission's 6ft green furry dinosaur mascot was on walkabout in Salford Quays and MediaCityUK making families aware that fifty per cent of Salford children live in poverty in some areas of the city.

Further details here...

The figures are like something out of the Stone Age, that in some areas of Salford fifty per cent of children are being brought up in poverty. Fittingly, the Wood Street Mission last week sent out its 6ft green furry dinosaur mascot to make families at Salford Quays and Media City aware of the fact - while launching its new Book Appeal, urging the public to make donations of books and money to develop its book clubs which promote the importance of literacy to children and parents.

"Our new mascot is family friendly and we are pleased to have brought smiles to children's faces this half term holiday" said Roseanne Sweeney, Chief Executive at Wood Street Mission "However many local children living in poverty will not be having fun as their families struggle to put food on the table and afford activities their peers routinely enjoy during holidays."

In 2014 the ace Wood Street Mission worked with almost 3,000 families and 7,000 children helping to provide clothes, bedding, and toys, and food during the school holidays. Now it's increasingly encouraging engagement in education to improve the life chances of children living in poverty. And its new Book Appeal is part of this.

It's calling for donations of books and money to develop the charity's book clubs for families, which currently take place during school holidays. The book clubs allow families to choose and take home a wide range of quality books of their own, as well as taking part in activities to improve literacy, encouraging families to read together.

"There is a strong link between the number of books at home and reading ability, but children growing up in poor households often have few books" states the Mission "In addition, children who are read to daily by their parents are much less likely to grow up in poverty than children whose parents don't read to them."

Wood Street Mission Book Appeal

Wood Street is looking for new or good quality second hand books. They can be dropped off at the Mission's HQ, 26 Wood Street, Manchester M3 3EF 8.30am-4.30pm Monday-Friday, or you can ring 0161 834 3140 to arrange a collection.

The Salford Star is also trying to arrange drop-off points in Salford. Further details will be posted here in the next day or two. If any organisation wants to be a drop-off point for books please phone the Mission to arrange this and then let us know.

You can also help the appeal by texting BOOK to 70500 to donate £5 or going direct to the Mission's JustGiving page – click here

For more information or to download an appeal poster or donate see  http://www.woodstreetmission.org.uk/Events-at/Books-Are-GRRREAT-.aspx