On Monday 15^th June Reading West MP, Martin Salter will be launching the Dolly Parton Imagination Library in Whitley in his constituency. Mr Salter has been working over the last year to ensure that Reading was chosen to be one of the next towns to benefit from the revolutionary pre-school reading scheme pioneered by country and western singer, Dolly Parton. The Dolly Parton Imagination Library has delivered millions of books across America and Canada to 0-5 year-olds, to drive up literacy standards and to encourage parents to read to their children from an early age. Two years ago, the scheme came to Rotherham in Yorkshire and a chance meeting between Martin Salter and a Dolly Parton fan in the House of Commons has resulted in the Dollywood Foundation choosing Reading as their second UK venue.

The launch will take place at New Directions in Northumberland Avenue, Whitley at 12.30pm where children will be receiving the first book in the series - Beatrix Potter’s classic, The Tale of Peter Rabbit.

Martin Salter said:-

“This scheme, which will begin in Whitley, in the heart of my constituency, has the potential to make a real difference for hundreds of local youngsters. After all, if education is the route to opportunity, then literacy is the route into making the most of your education. Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has made a real difference to millions of youngsters across north America and Canada since it began in 1995. I am so pleased that children in Reading will now be benefiting too.”

Jon Hartley, Lead Councillor for Education and Lifelong Learning, said-

 “It’s great news that the Imagination Library has chosen Reading as its next location in the UK. I’m delighted that we have been able to launch this scheme, thanks to the generosity of Affinity, together with Wates and its partners, and also thanks to the hard work of Martin Salter MP, who brought everyone together in the first place. Dolly’s Imagination Library is a very exciting scheme that will provide a regular supply of free books for every family with a young child in Whitley.”

From July, all Whitley children from birth to one year, who have registered for the scheme and are within the RG2 postcode area, will receive one specially chosen book each month from Dolly’s Imagination Library, completely free of charge and delivered to their door. They will continue to receive books until their fifth birthday. The books are theirs to keep, not just loaned.

Dolly Parton set up the Imagination Library in 1995, in her home area of Sevier County, Tennessee. Her aim was that every pre-school child would have their own collection of books that would encourage a love of reading and learning.