Football writer helps children and adults to be champions
at reading
Football writer Tom Palmer helped schoolchildren and
adults to score at reading during a visit to Fulham
Library yesterday (Thursday 12th May 2005).
Tom was a guest at the latest meeting of a recently-launched
reading group, called Premier League Reading Stars,
which uses the beautiful game to promote literacy. He
ran a series of quiz rounds about reading football books,
magazines and newspapers to encourage a passion for
reading. The children, who were with their parents,
built up points which were translated into penalties
and a penalty shoot-out finale in Fulham Library exhibition
hall with Tom in goal.
A published football writer whose books include
If You're Proud to be a Leeds Fan, Tom also visits
schools around the country, encouraging children to
write about the game as players or fans.
He said, I hated reading until I was 17 and my mum got
me into it by encouraging me to read newspaper reports
about Leeds United and taking me to matches. I think
the way that the library staff and Fulham FC are backing
Premier League Reading Stars means the project is about
as successful as it could be in this borough. It is
great to see so many children and parents taking part.
Fulham Football Club has joined forces with the council's
library service as part of the Premier League Reading
Stars scheme, a national initiative involving all 20
premiership clubs.
Each club adopts a local library, where children and
adults meet regularly to discuss and review the books
they have read.
Five of the children who attended yesterday’s
event are pupils at Holy Cross Primary School, in Fulham,
and also attend the Fulham FC Skills and Learning Centre
(see note below). The other five were from the Al-Muntada
Islamic Primary School, in Parsons Green.
The borough's mayor, Cllr Charlie Treloggan, who also
attended the event said, "This is a great way to
encourage children and adults to share an enjoyment
of reading and become regular users of their local library.
It also builds on our excellent partnership with Fulham
Football Club, with whom we run the successful Fulham
FC Skills and Learning Centre to improve children's
literacy, numeracy and computer skills."
The Premier League Reading Stars scheme was launched
at Fulham Library two years ago by Fulham FC midfielder
Lee Clark. Defender Moritz Volz, who is Fulham FC's
current Reading Champion, plans to visit the library
for another session with children and their parents
or carers on 26 May.
Reading Champions from each premier league club have
nominated a book for a Reading Stars booklist.
Fulham Library has received 40 free books, two copies
of each book on the reading list, supplied by the National
Literacy Trust. The charity is helping to run the Premier
League Reading Stars programme with funding from the
Arts Council.
Children who take part can keep these free recommended
books or donate them back to the library when they have
finished with them. In addition children each receive
three free books of their choice as part of the scheme.
They can pick any title from the players reading list
or the library's main book collection and can have their
book reviews published on the scheme's website.
Fulham Football Club's head of community Simon Morgan,
who also attended the event, said, "This is a fantastic
initiative and Fulham Football Club is delighted to
be involved. The scheme is of great educational benefit
to children in the local community."
Press release from:
The Press Office,
Hammersmith and Fulham,
Town Hall
King Street
W6 9JU
Phil McCorkell
Press Officer
Tel 0208 753 2127
Fax 0208 741 2685
E-mail
philip.mccorkell
@lbhf.gov.uk
Back to Fulham's home page.
Find out more about Tom Palmer's work with Premier
League Reading Stars here. |
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