Queen opens 50th Coronation Library as part of literacy drive
THE Queen continued her campaign to help children to learn to read when she visited a school.
As patron of the National Literacy Trust, she visited Moreland Primary School in London to open their new Coronation Library, the 50th in a series of special primary school libraries that have been transformed over the last 12 months.
It was funded with the help of the National Literacy Trust, to mark the Coronation.
A spokesman for the Royal family said: “The Coronation Libraries initiative celebrates Her Majesty’s strong advocacy not only for reading and literacy, but also for the vital importance of primary school libraries. In collaboration with Libraries for Primaries, the National Literacy Trust have created 50 Coronation libraries and reading spaces across the UK since 2023 with the 50th library being opened by Her Majesty at Moreland Primary School.”
The 50 libraries also receive a set of 23 books, chosen by children from across the country, which bear a commemorative bookplate featuring the Coronation emblem. In addition, a commemorative plaque is placed in each library.
The National Literacy Trust aims to empower children, young people and adults with the literacy skills they need to succeed. Reading, writing, speaking and listening skills give people the tools to get the most out of life, and the power to shape their future.
For over 30 years the National Literacy Trust has continued to support schools, families and communities on a local and national level to help people change their stories.
The new library at Moreland Primary School in Islington is also the 1,000th primary school library to open as part of the National Literacy Trust’s Libraries for Primaries campaign, which aims to establish libraries in UK primary schools in areas where local communities have low levels of literacy.
During the visit, the Queen also joined an interactive storytelling session with young librarians from primary schools across the city, before opening the new library and listening to Children’s Laureate, Joseph Coelho read a poem One Thousand Libraries that he had written for the occasion.