The campaign helping us fall back in love with reading: The National Year of Reading
16th June 2026
The National Year of Reading is well underway, with events and activities taking place across the UK to reignite the nation’s love of reading and respond to a worrying trend - reading for pleasure among 8 to 18-year-olds falling to its lowest level in 20 years in 2025.
2026 is the National Year of Reading, a once-in-a-generation campaign helping more people discover, or rediscover, a love of reading.
The campaign is a collaboration between the Department for Education and the National Lottery-funded National Literacy Trust, along with a coalition of charities and more than 50 partners. They’re coming together to tackle a worrying trend - reading for pleasure among 8 to18-year-olds at its lowest level in 20 years in 2025.
The latest research from the National Literacy Trust shows some signs of improvement. Around 36% of the 120,373 young people that were surveyed say that they now read for pleasure, up from 32.7% in 2025.
However, there is still a long way to go. Even with this increase, both reading for pleasure and how often people read are still much lower than they were a decade ago.
The National Year of Reading is here to change that, by encouraging people of all ages to see reading in a new way, whether that’s through books, podcasts, comics, blogs or more.
At the heart of the campaign is the message to ‘Go All In.’ It’s about showing how reading can unlock more of the things people already love, from sport and music to cooking and gaming.
About the National Literacy Trust
For more than 30 years, the National Literacy Trust has supported people across the UK to build the literacy skills they need in everyday life.
With 22 grants totalling over £7.75 million from The National Lottery, it has delivered projects of all shapes and sizes in communities nationwide.
Making reading part of everyday life.
The aim of the National Year of Reading is to rethink what reading looks like. It’s more than just sitting down with a book - reading can mean listening to an audiobook or podcast, scrolling through recipes, a newsletter or a Substack blog, or engaging with gaming content online.
By expanding what reading looks like, and reaching new audiences, the campaign is helping more people see themselves as readers and making it easier for reading to fit naturally into their lives.
Bringing the campaign to life
The campaign is coming to life in different ways throughout the year. So far, over two million children have taken part, and 35,000 volunteers have pledged their support.
There’s activity taking place in schools, libraries and communities across the UK, alongside virtual events and resources for teachers and families to get involved in.
It’s also about bringing lots of different partners together, from sport, media and culture, so that reading connects with the things people already care about.
With advertising in cinemas, public spaces, and on social networks, and more than 100 campaign ambassadors including household names such as TV presenter Dermot O’Leary, England footballers Leah Williamson and Georgia Stanway, and fitness coach and author Joe Wicks, the campaign is reaching far and wide.
This summer, the Go All In campaign is uniting sports stars, past and present, broadcasters, pundits and content creators to inspire the nation to fall in love with reading through their passion for sport. Find out more here.
Getting involved
The key to the campaign is that anyone can get involved. It could be visiting your local library for the first time and borrowing an audiobook, going to one of the many events taking place around the country, or talking about what you’re reading with friends and family. Or joining or even starting a book club.
There are also opportunities to get more involved, whether that’s volunteering, supporting local events or setting up your own activity in your community or at work.
The campaign is supported by hundreds of organisations across the UK, all helping to spread the message.
Looking ahead
The National Year of Reading is about creating lasting change. By changing perceptions of what reading looks like, the campaign is helping more people discover its benefits in a way that works for them.
Thanks to National Lottery players, the National Literacy Trust is reaching communities across the UK.