- A single pack to publicise and run the Challenge with 50 participants costs £70.00
and includes 100 bookmarks (doubles as invitation), 50 reading diaries, 50 certificates, 50 book recommendation leaflets, 25 fliers, 5 A3 posters, 5 A4 posters

- Special offer - free pack of 125 branded coasters with each three packs £187.50

- Top-up packs of 50 reading diaries £40.00

Visit the Reading Agency Shop for more details and to order and our Support section for guidance on using these materials.

- 13,500 registered for the Challenge through libraries, adult education, colleges, prisons and workplaces - up 50% on 2009.
- An estimated 1554 libraries took part - up 28.6% on 2009.
- 41% men and 59% women took part - male involvement up from 25% in 2009.
- At least 44 different nationalities represented.
- An estimated 4656 people joined libraries to take part - up 52.2% on 2009. An estimated 9573 have joined since 2008.
- An estimated 12,000 people have completed the Challenge since it began.
- 83% of participants said that they felt more confident about reading after doing the Challenge and the same percentage that they were likely to use the library more to borrow books.

Please contact us if you would like to see the full evaluation report.

"The event was a huge success and Tess was brilliant," reports librarian Paula Elliott. _"We've had lots of very positive feed back. Time to draw breath and then think about next year's Challenge - though how we top this remains to be seen!" _

Bolton Hospital library was one of 12 NHS libraries in the north-west that took part in the Six Book Challenge in 2010. The scheme has encouraged all these libraries to include more fiction titles alongside their large clinical stock and thus attract a wider range of readers.
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"NHS library information services in the North West have seen a lot of interest in the Six Book Challenge this year. The results have been good and it is a great scheme to show people what libraries can offer." _David Stewart, director of health libraries North West

Kazimiera came to Manchester three years ago from Poland with her three children, following her husband and their father, who was already working here. She began taking ESOL English lessons at Stockport College in order to improve her spoken and written English.

"It was my ESOL lecturer Joanne Shepherd, who is a great teacher, who encouraged us to read books," she explains. "Then the librarian Lynsey Smith told my class about the Six Book Challenge," says Kazimiera. "I thought it was a good idea, but I was a bit nervous, because I had read books before in English, but only elementary ones. I thought that I must start reading books at a more intermediate level. It was good for me, it motivated me."

"The first book was not easy," admits Kazimiera. "I had to keep looking new words up in an English dictionary. But bit by bit my grammar improved. When I am reading I want to relax. I read books that I thought I would enjoy, all romance books! My favourite book which I read for the Six Book Challenge was a romance book set in the Lake District -- this is an area that is very beautiful and I would love to visit it on holiday."

Kazimiera successfully completed the Six Book Challenge just before taking her English exams in June. "I was happy, but I have still continued to read books, because I like
reading," she says. "I am now more confident, and my English is improving. Doing the Six Book Challenge was really good preparation for the English reading and writing exams I have just taken. I think it was a really important exercise for everyone who did it."

Jackie explains: "I've been running the Challenge at HMP Low Newton this year alongside a reading group. I have found the women particularly enjoy reading books that feature heavily in the media. We were lucky enough to receive the Orange Prize shortlist and they proved very popular with the women writing about them in their Six Book Challenge diaries. We are currently reading books from Channel Four Summer Reads book club and we've also tried plays such as Pygmalion. Some of the women struggle with literacy and we find the right books for them. One lady likes trains. Another with poor concentration has enjoyed lots of the Quick Reads."

Governor Alan Richer has commented: "I am very pleased that Low Newton has won this award. The Six Book Challenge has been a real success in encouraging women offenders to read and express themselves. A lot of credit for creating such a positive enthusiasm for reading must go to the library staff and of course the readers themselves who have joined in so enthusiastically with the challenge".

And the prison library's work is also supported by Tamara Ross, Head of Learning and Skills: "I am thrilled that Low Newton has won this award. It recognises the positive relationships between staff and those we care for. The women involved have grown in confidence, motivation and knowledge thus demonstrating the importance of reading. "

"Reading is food for the brain," says Tom Wilson, director of unionlearn. "It is the key unlocking the door to a better world. Reading makes life more fun and more sociable; it helps people get on at work; it helps people understand the world and control their lives. That's why unions want to help working people become more confident readers and why we are glad to support The Reading Agency's Six Book Challenge."

Six Book Challenge at Work showcases use of the scheme at Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Warburtons in Stockton and Newburn, Tameside Council, Transport for London, Fabrick Housing Group in Middlesbrough and McVitie's in Stockport. Each case study demonstrates how the Challenge brings improved skills, communication and motivation to a workforce. The booklet also outlines how the Communication Workers Union are building on the Six Book Challenge to link reading and learning throughout the year with a range of practical approaches.

The Reading Agency has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with unionlearn as a commitment to working together to harness the power of reading for the benefit of workplaces across the country.