A READING challenge held at Wiltshire Council libraries has helped inspire youngsters curiosity and creativity. 

The Summer Reading Challenge for children aged between four and 11 ran for eight weeks over the summer.

The council says 6,206 children across Wiltshire registered for reading challenge – an increase of 39 per cent from 2021.

And 3,831 of the children who registered returned to collect their final rewards which included a medal and certificate.

They were encouraged to discover science and celebrate the role of the imagination when reading.

The theme was Gadgeteers, and children were given special packs containing a Gadgeteer poster and sticker sheets as a reward for each book read.

Some libraries offered additional activities, including LEGO Club sessions in Salisbury and Chippenham libraries which were very popular.

Cllr Ian Blair-Pilling, Wiltshrie Council's cabinet member for libraries said: “The Summer Reading Challenge was the successful culmination of a series of events for Wiltshire Year of Reading. Families were pleased to have the challenge back running face-to-face again in libraries after the last few difficult years due to the Covid pandemic.

“Ensuring that young people in Wiltshire get the best start in life is a council priority and the Summer Reading Challenge has an important part to play in delivering this. We have received a lot of great feedback from parents and guardians about the impact it has had on their child’s reading, with 85% saying taking part in the challenge had improved their reading.

He added: “I would like to thank all the 158 volunteers that supported our library staff in delivering the challenge for their time and enthusiasm in supporting the children taking part. Many were returning volunteers but there were 64 new volunteers including seven that volunteered as part of their Duke of Edinburgh Award. Between them, the volunteers gave 2,454 hours of time.”