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PM meets adult learners on World Book Day

The Prime Minister will welcome The Learning Bus into Downing Street today, World Book Day. On board with Quick Reads authors Adele Parks and Colin Jackson will be adult learners from South Thames College in Roehampton and Metroline buses.

The Prime Minister will welcome The Learning Bus into Downing Street today, World Book Day. On board with Quick Reads authors Adele Parks and Colin Jackson will be adult learners from South Thames College in Roehampton and Metroline buses.

They will be sharing the stories of their own reading journeys with the Prime Minister, John Denham, Secretary of State for the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills, and Ed Balls, Secretary of State for DCSF.

The authors and learners will be joined by Gail Rebuck , CEO of The Random House Group and Chair of the Quick Reads campaign, Frances Oā€™ Grady, Deputy General Secretary of the TUC.

Quick Reads, first launched in 2006, are the perfect books for people who have lost the reading habit or who struggle to read long and complicated books. For many adults, a Quick Read has been the first book they have ever read, and this experience has transformed their lives. A recent survey showed that 90% of adults using Quick Reads said that improving their reading has made them feel better about themselves.

The group meeting the Prime Minister will be telling him about the books that have made a real difference to their reading lives.

Ten new Quick Reads titles will be published today to mark World Book Day. In addition to Colin Jackson and Adele Parks, they include books by chef Gordon Ramsay, former Welsh rugby international, Scott Quinnell, bestselling writers, Josephine Cox, John Bird (founder of The Big Issue) and Gilda Oā€™Neill.

Devon Edwards from Wandsworth and who has been on the adult literacy course at South Thames College for four years, is one of the learners meeting the Prime Minister tomorrow. He comments, ā€˜I never read until I found Quick Reads. They increased my confidence and helped me to carry on when I found it hard. I know I can go on to bigger thingsā€™

Gail Rebuck comments, ā€˜Publishers have always believed that books can transform peopleā€™s lives. Quick Reads are having an extraordinary effect on reluctant readers and are a great example of publishers, authors and book retailers working together with the public sector to deliver the message that reading can be fun and rewarding.ā€™

Neil Colston, Head of Recruitment and Training at Metroline, whose Learning Bus has an onboard learning centre for staff to use, says, ā€˜We are delighted that weā€™ve been able to promote the Quick Reads initiative in all our Metroline garages, promoting the joys of reading to all our 3,700 employees and their families.ā€™


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