Be a book millionaire in our reading campaign
Literacy will take centre stage across the county next year following KM Group’s decision to make 2017 its Year of Reading.
The education campaign will have a dual focus and showcase the variety of schemes used in schools and the community to champion the issue.
It will also aim to encourage more schools to sign up to the KM Charity Team’s home reading initiatives, Buster’s Book Club, which turns children into reading millionaires.
The campaign will be launched at the annual KM Charity Team Forum being held at the Mercure Great Danes Hotel, Maidstone on Monday October 3 and free tickets to attend the launch can be obtained by visiting the website www.kmcharityteam. co.uk and clicking on the Forum or event booking tabs.
Next year a number of major events will be staged that have reading and writing at their heart including the Kent Teacher of the Year Awards and Kent Literacy Awards, but it is the home reading scheme Buster’s Book Club used by primary schools and special schools that will take the spotlight as the 11,000 families involved try to become reading millionaires by collectively reading more than one million minutes. Buster’s Book Club provides a Reading Class of the Week Trophy, a monthly inter-school challenge where the class that is top or most improved for reading wins tickets to leisure attractions including Leeds Castle, Silver Blades ice skating rink, Wildwood or Canterbury Tales.
The other part challenges pupils to collectively read more than one million minutes. Last academic year 2.8m minutes of reading was achieved and this year scheme organisers are aiming for 4m.
To keep up to date sign up to the KM Charity Team’s monthly e-newsletter, KM Charity Link, at the website www.kmcharityteam.co.uk. Head into number 9-10 at the Royal Star Arcade shopping centre and you will be rewarded with craft beer and artisan coffee at 4Degrees Craft Bar.
It is owned by former estate agents Tim Gough and David Hitch, both 32, who saw the potential in the vacant unit in one of Maidstone’s oldest shopping centres. Its grand opening was held last month.
The complex will stay open until 11pm on Thursday and Friday and midnight on Saturday especially for the venue, which opens at 9.30am and on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday closes at 5.30pm.
Mr Gough, of Otham, said: “We fell in love with the romance of the place. People have been telling us its exactly what the town needs.”
He said there are plans to run tasting evenings, singles nights and have live music. The bar sells beer and wine from Tenterden’s Chapel Down brewery, Kent Brewery’s Prohibition, beers from Westerham Brewery as well as coffee, pies and cakes from local producers.