The Monmouth community, including Haberdashers’ Monmouth School and Monmouth Comprehensive School, is getting ready to ‘Go All In’ for reading this year as part of the official launch of the National Year of Reading 2026 (NYOR).
The Monmouth community is getting ready to ‘Go All In’ for reading this year, with the official launch of the National Year of Reading 2026 (NYOR).
With a tagline of ‘Go All In’, the NYOR has been described as “the biggest reading initiative the country has ever seen”, aiming to “transform reading for generations”.
Haberdashers’ Monmouth School, Monmouth Comprehensive School, Monmouth Community Hub and Library, local community and creative groups including Empty SpaceCIC Living Windows, the U3A and many more are collaborating to celebrate, champion and inspire reading in all its forms over the coming months as part of the Department for Education UK-wide initiative.
The year-long programme of events will include a range of joint author visits, competitions, community sessions and story-telling events, displays, exhibitions and much more besides. Authors already confirmed to speak to students include M.G. Leonard, Daniel Morden, Ben Kane and Sion Tomos Owen.
Head of Haberdashers’ Monmouth School, Mr. Melvyn Roffe, commented: “Reading is the gateway to so many incredible ideas, fascinating people and exciting new worlds. Haberdashers’ Monmouth School is delighted to be working with partners to celebrate the National Year of Reading in Monmouth and the surrounding area. I’m sure it will be a fantastic experience for our community.”
Head of Monmouth Comprehensive, Mr Hugo Hutchison said: “We are really excited to celebrate the National Year of Reading, 2026. Reading is of the utmost importance to our young people; it is an essential life skill that opens doors to their future. We feel incredibly lucky to be partnering with other local schools and community groups, forging productive relationships and creating inspired shared experiences for our young people together. We have many exciting events planned over the course of the year, and hope that this partnership extends beyond the official initiative for 2026.”
Students and community groups are also really looking forward to participating in the NYOR, including Haberdashers’ Monmouth School student Olive, who said: “I am really excited for all the events and author visits, and I feel it will really encourage everyone to read more.”
Fellow pupil Dima commented: “It’s great to see people being intrigued about reading and learning more and getting involved in reading together” and Monmouth Comprehensive student Dan added: “Reading is such a great way to learn and experience while having fun. The 2026 Year of Reading is going to promote this!”
Monmouth Library Lead, Lydia Dowding, explained how exciting it was for the whole community to get behind the campaign: “The National Year of Reading is an excellent opportunity to get Monmouth reading. We’re thrilled to be working with Monmouth’s schools on this initiative. By joining forces, we’re creating opportunities for young people to discover the joy of reading beyond the classroom and to connect with their local library as a lifelong resource.
Helen Wragg, Chair of the Rolls Hall Strategy Group and Co Director of Living Windows said: “This is the perfect initiative to celebrate Monmouth as a significant centre of education and learning.”
Monmouth u3a Chair, Averil MacDonald, added: “Monmouth u3a has many avid readers and several Reading Groups taking pleasure from literature and poetry, and our members enjoy bringing the joy of reading to our grandchildren. We look forward to bringing our experience, enthusiasm and wisdom to support Monmouth’s Year of Reading initiatives with truly multigenerational engagement as recommended in the government’s campaign ambitions.”
Categories: Haberdasher's Monmouth
