Country music legend Dolly Parton is urging the borough’s kids to pick up a book and read from nine ‘til five, as part of her ‘Imagination Library’ project.
The scheme will see the ‘Jolene’ singer give Southwark babies born this year a free book every month until their fifth birthday, helped by Southwark Council and DialAFlight, whose charity ‘Make My Day Better’ is allocating £750,000 to the cause.
In a video available at our website, the 69-year-old songstress said: “Hello Southwark! This is Dolly and I just want to thank you for launching the Imagination Library.
“Thanks to the generosity of DialAFlight and their charity ‘Make My Day Better’, 5000 kids born in 2016 will start getting a new book every month.
“And I certainly don’t want to forget the council, because their staff will make sure that every child is registered.
“This is a really big deal for you, and for me! Now let’s have some fun!”
Southwark Council Leader Peter John said: “With many families still feeling the pinch it has never been so important to ensure that children have access to books so they can learn and develop as much possible in their early years.
“Our libraries already run some wonderful sessions for the under five age group, with a huge range of books available for parents to read with their children, but it’s fantastic that this scheme will also allow children and families to start building up a library of their very own.”
All children born between December 1, 2015 and December 31, 2016 will be eligible. Parents must register their children by the end of the year. The kids will only be eligible to receive books while they live in Southwark.
Visit bit.ly/1NbdJsy for more information.