Swindon Orbital celebrates decade of Young Readers Programme

It marked the shopping destination celebrating its 10th year supporting British Land’s national partnership with the National Literacy Trust. 
The event, which also marked 15 years of British Land’s national commitment to the Young Readers Programme, was led by professional storyteller and award-winning performance poet Dommy B.
Tom Mitchell, Centre Manager at Orbital Shopping Park, said: “The Young Readers Programme has been making a difference in communities across the UK for 15 years, and we're delighted to be marking this milestone alongside the National Literacy Trust here in Swindon.
"Initiatives like this give young people the opportunity to explore books in a fun and engaging way beyond the classroom, while building confidence and encouraging a lifelong love of reading.
"It was fantastic to see the children getting involved in the storytelling session and creative activities."
The day began with children enjoying an exciting poetry performance by award-winning poet Dommy B in North Swindon Library. 
The children then took part in activities at Orbital Shopping Park, including learning about biodiversity with Nurture Landscapes and meeting Wiltshire Police and Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service where they explored their emergency their vehicles. 
The children also chose a book to take home and keep - their third book as part of the project this academic year.
A total of 167 children participated in this year’s event. Since launching at Orbital Shopping Park, the initiative has supported more than 2,160 children and donated more than 6,490 books. 
Nationally, the Young Readers Programme has supported over 80,000 children living near British Land destinations since 2011, encouraging reading for enjoyment outside the classroom.
Through the programme, the National Literacy Trust supports children to develop their love of books and reading identity through a series of fun events focused on book choice and reading for enjoyment. 
Children are also given the opportunity to choose books that they can take home and keep. These are often the first books they have ever owned.
This year’s milestone coincides with the National Year of Reading 2026, a nationwide campaign led by the Department for Education and supported by the National Literacy Trust. Through its 'Go All In' campaign, the initiative aims to inspire people of all ages to discover how reading can help them explore the things they already love.
The event comes as new research from the National Literacy Trust shows that children's reading enjoyment and daily reading habits have increased for the first time in five years. 
More than a third (36.1%) of children and young people aged eight to 18 now say they enjoy reading in their free time, up from 32.7% in 2025, while a fifth (20.3%) read daily in their free time (vs 18.7% in 2025). 
However, reading enjoyment remains significantly below levels recorded a decade ago, when 58.6% of children enjoyed reading in 2016.
Nick Oram, Programme Manager, Young Readers, at the National Literacy Trust, said: "Our long-term partnership with British Land has meant that, over the past 15 years, over 80,000 children and young people living across the UK have been able to discover the joys and life-long benefits of reading. 
"Through our work with Swindon Orbital, children have enjoyed inspiring storytelling sessions, chosen from a diverse range of books that speak to their interests and passions, and built confidence as readers.
"In the National Year of Reading 2026, we are proud to celebrate the partnerships that make reading for pleasure a priority, giving children and young people the literacy skills to thrive."
The storytelling event was designed to help children discover the enjoyment of reading in a fun and engaging environment, while supporting the aims of both the Young Readers Programme and the National Year of Reading.
The British Land Young Readers Programme is an award-winning initiative delivered by British Land and the National Literacy Trust to help children develop a lifelong love of reading through experiences that connect books, creativity and learning beyond the classroom. 
 

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