2026 marks the National Year of Reading
We're supporting the National Year of Reading in 2026 with a series of events and activities, bringing our services to a wider audience, with accessibility at the heart of the campaign.
National Year of Reading is a Department of Education initiative designed to reignite a culture of reading for pleasure across the UK. The aim is to make reading relevant and engage new audiences with an emphasis on reaching early years children, boys (8-18yrs) and families from disadvantaged communities and adults.
We believe audio is the perfect platform to (re)connect with reading and makes books accessible to those that need it. Audio makes stories come alive, firing imagination and creativity.
We're busy planning our programme of events, which we'll be sharing in the New Year. For now, here's a sneak preview of what you can expect in 2026:
National Year of Reading one-day CPD conference for education professionals. “Inspiring a love of reading in children and young adults with SEND”. For more information and to book your place follow this link: Inspiring a love of reading in children and young adults with SEND Tickets, Mon 19 Jan 2026 at 09:00 | Eventbrite.
Calibre Conversations our online book festival launching in January with authors Ruth Foster and Sally Gardner.
Inclusive Voices short story competition running from June to September with a new theme and exciting partnership announcements.
Audiobook Reading Challenge launching in October.
Keep checking the website for more information and to keep updated with new activities added through the year.
Join us and “Go All In” because you never know where reading can take you!