Council launches literary strategy

Cardiff council has launched its literacy strategy to encourage reading and writing in young people. The campaign is fronted by Power Readers – cartoon characters who aim to champion the mantra 'knowledge in power' to stimulate young pupils to take up books. Children's writer Jon Blake was at the launch of the campaign last week in Kitchener Primary School in Riverside. He said: "As a writer and former teacher I have long been concerned about the high level of functional illiteracy in the UK. I'm happy to do all I can to support Cardiff Council's campaign." Councillor Freda Salway, said: "Reading and writing are the basic building blocks of education. The Council is working hard with schools across the city to ensure children have these key skills. "This new campaign is very striking and is sure to appeal to children. It was wonderful to attend Kitchener Primary and see the children enjoy listening to Jon's story. "We want to show children and their parents that reading is fun and it only needs them to set aside 10 minutes a day to devote to reading and they will reap the benefits." Former Kitchener pupil Nafeesa Saharded created the slogan for the campaign - 'The brain needs feeding so keep on reading'.