The Reading Agency welcomes Christopher Eccleston as a Summer Reading Challenge Champion

The Reading Agency is thrilled to announce that acclaimed actor Christopher Eccleston is confirmed as the fourth Champion for this year’s ‘Marvellous Makers’ Summer Reading Challenge. Christopher is one of a prestigious lineup of Summer Reading Challenge Champions, including Jordan Stephens, Isy Suttie, and Alex Wharton, in supporting the free reading programme aimed at inspiring children aged 4-11 to read for fun over the summer holidays. 

Christopher said, “When I heard about The Reading Agency’s Summer Reading Challenge I was immediately drawn in. As an actor my career has been built on words and the celebration of the richness of language. I’m always reading and encourage my children away from screen time to explore literature which they love to do. My parents taught me the value of reading and it is important for me to pass this along. Knowing that public libraries, a precious resource that we must protect, are providing homes for this holiday initiative makes it all the more special.” 

Now in its 25th year, the Summer Reading Challenge continues to support children’s creativity, confidence, and peer-to-peer relationships by encouraging them to read for pleasure. Last year, nearly 700,000 children took part in the Challenge. This year’s “Marvellous Makers” theme, developed in partnership with Create, the UK’s leading charity empowering lives through the creative arts, aims to help children understand, appreciate, and express themselves through creativity and reading.

The Challenge officially begins on June 22 in Scotland and online, and on July 6 in England and Wales. The Reading Agency invites parents, caregivers, and educators to get involved and support their children’s reading journeys this summer.

Find out more about the Summer Reading Challenge.