Professional rugby players and an optician are helping youngsters explore the world of books.

Honley Junior, Infant and Nursery School has a new school reading initiative called Read for Life to encourage pupils to explore books and read for fun.

It certainly will be as Huddersfield Giants players are going into the school to read with the youngsters.

The project, launched on World Book Day, has been sponsored by Valli Opticians which has branches throughout Huddersfield including Honley. It is led by assistant headteacher Miss Sophie Wilkin and supported by the Friends of Honley, Junior, Infant and Nursery School.

The aim is to create a culture of ‘reading for pleasure, reading for life’ across all year groups in the school.

The youngsters will be able to read with Huddersfield Giants players who will come into school to share their favourite childhood stories and create memories for the children to last a lifetime.

Huddersfield Giants Community Trust chief executive Lisa Darwin said: “By using the power of sport our players are looking forward to meeting up with the school, helping to inspire the children by sharing their own journeys and experiences. We are proud to use sport and the badge to help drive the new reading initiative.”

Valli Opticians owner Moin Valli said: “We are aware that a child’s eye health and vision is directly related to their enjoyment of reading which inevitably impacts their attainment.

“As a company we are passionate about raising awareness of eye health and supporting the educational journey of children in our community and we believe the Read for Life Initiative at Honley Junior, Infant and Nursery School aligns perfectly with this value.”

Miss Wilkin added: “We recognise that reading is the keystone to learning and the earlier we can encourage children to develop a love of reading, the better. The activities happening in school this week are just the start of our plans.

“Such generous financial and practical support from Valli Opticians will help us further our vision of ‘love for learning, learning for life, life in all its fullness.’”

“We give special thanks to both the Friends of Honley, Junior, Infant and Nursery School and the Honley Business Association who continue to support the school with such enthusiasm and passion.

“We are looking forward to the future and exploring the many ways our pupils can benefit from links with the local community.” 

Written by ANDY HIRST who runs his own Yorkshire freelance journalism agency AH! PR (https://ah-pr.com/) specialising in press releases, blogging, website content and copywriting.

Become a patron and help Huddersfield Hub thrive, grow and spread the positivity