Books Council of Wales joins Welsh Government campaign to ‘take Wales to the World’
As part of Welsh Government’s World Cup Partner Support Fund, the Books Council of Wales is one of 19 organisations getting behind the Wales team as they head for Qatar in November.
Economy Minister Vaughan Gething has announced the projects that will promote and celebrate Wales at the tournament. A total of £1.8 million will be shared among 19 projects which aim to project our nation’s values and work to secure a positive and lasting legacy for Wales and Welsh football.
The Books Council of Wales has been awarded funding to deliver free football-themed books to libraries and food banks across Wales, to bring the magic of football to readers and celebrate the Welsh team’s achievements.
Chief Executive of the Books Council, Helgard Krause, said: “We are delighted to be part of this exciting programme and to use the passion and celebration of Wales’ achievement in the World Cup to ignite a love of reading in young people and help them improve their literacy skills.
Both reading and physical activity have a huge role to play in our health and well-being and Sporting Stories brings both elements together. Whether it’s helping a football fan to discover books they’ll love, or providing some footballing inspiration to encourage participation in football, games and sport, children and young people will be able to choose from a wide selection of football-themed books to enjoy during the World Cup and celebrate Wales’ place in the tournament.”
The Books Council’s Sporting Stories project will provide a selection of recent football-themed books, in both Welsh and English, to local authority libraries and to foodbanks across Wales. The books will be available from the beginning of November and will include a wide range of titles for all reading abilities, from Foundation Phase to adult readers. More information will be available on the Books Council’s website.
In his statement, Vaughan Gething said: “The Welsh Government has established an ambitious and exciting range of activities to make the most of the unique opportunity offered by the Cymru men’s football team’s participation in the FIFA World Cup.
This is the most significant marketing and sports diplomacy opportunity ever presented to the Welsh Government given the profile of the event.
We are determined to capitalise on this historic achievement and deliver real benefits for people here in Wales.”
