Meridian Trust is proud to support the National Literacy Trust’s National Year of Reading “Go All In” campaign in 2026.
The national campaign is designed to inspire more people to (re)discover the joy of reading and make it a regular part of their lives. The National Literacy Trust has highlighted that reading enjoyment is declining across the UK with fewer children, young people and adults reading for pleasure each year, with many saying they don’t feel motivated to read. This decline can have far reaching impact on cognitive development, language acquisition and critical thinking skills. It can also contribute to a widening of social and economic inequalities, with long-term implications for opportunity, attainment and wellbeing.
But why does reading matter? Reading builds empathy and social connection, strengthening relationships across generations. It supports educational attainment, personal development and mental wellbeing. Reading is not just a skill; it is a gateway to exploring interests more deeply and engaging with the world.
The challenge is about sparking motivation and inspiring positive shifts in how people think about and approach reading. Whether you’re reading a novel in print or on an e-reader, a magazine article or an online blog, listening to an audio book on a phone or tablet, all forms of reading are valid and valuable.
This year’s campaign suggests that while it’s tempting to talk about the long-term benefits of reading – and there are many – people are more interested in enriching their lives now and the Go All In message aims to promote how reading can do that. It’s about highlighting the rewards of reading, from building connections to stumbling on new insights, through to having a laugh or just experiencing a moment of calm. Go All In aims to make reading a lifelong habit not a one-off moment or year-long fling; positioning reading as a great way to enhance what you love – any place, any time.
Beth Morrish, Director of Literacy Strategies and Professional Learning Lead shared, “The Year of Reading has got off to a fantastic start across our schools. We launched the Go All In campaign with a focus on 10 Ways to Take 10 – offering handy hints and tips on ways that students, families, and staff can start to build routines and enjoy reading now and for the future by just taking 10 minutes to read each day.
In our secondaries, we’ve got a weekly Blast from the Past – book chat happening in tutor groups, and in our primaries, there is Me and My Book recommendations being regularly shared and celebrated.
Schools have been busily organising Carnegie Shadowing Groups, author visits and videos, Blind Dates with a Book, Open Mics in libraries, and a host of reading challenges and competitions, to name but a few…and that’s all before World Book Day takes place in March!
We know that exploring stories through lyrics can be an effective way to re-engage young people with reading for enjoyment. That’s way, in celebration of National Storytelling Week, we’re thrilled to have launched our Trust-wide Soundtrack Your Story competition. It’s open to everyone from Years 5-13 and invites students to create an original piece of music or write a song, inspired by a favourite story, reflecting a character, plot or scene. In addition to a cash prize, winners will be showcased at our Meridian Trust Arts Festival in July.
And the Year of Reading is not just for our students – many colleagues have already signed up to our A Poem in your Inbox initiative and are enjoying starting their week with a poem to read on a Monday morning. There’s more planned for later on in the year too, so everyone has a chance to go all in with whatever they already enjoy”.
If you’re into it, read into it!
To find out more head to National Year of Reading 2026 | Go All In
