Children from a group of schools in Bury St Edmunds are being urged to step up their reading activities as the new year approaches.

Philip Daws, reading champion for the Bury Schools Partnership, has challenged youngsters to spend more time with their heads buried in a good book.

His ‘Champion’s Challenge’ will culminate in a special week, starting on January 2, when parents from all 20 schools in the partnership will be asked to keep records of their youngsters’ reading for a week.

At the end, all the hours spent reading will be added up, with prizes of £10 book tokens awarded to young students at each school who have read the most.

An overall Reading Laureate prize will be given to the partnership’s number one reader. This will be a £20 token donated by Waterstones.

Mr Daws said: “It seems the perfect time of year to issue this challenge to our young readers here in Bury.

“There are some great books out there to choose from and many children will no doubt already have several on their shelves after Christmas.”

Clare Lamb, headteacher at All Saints Primary School in Lawshall, has taken a lead role in promoting the scheme. She said: “It’s vital for children to read – and to enjoy the experience too. We can’t stress enough the fact that reading really should be a fun activity.”

Each child will be given a reading record sheet to complete. For more details, call 0783 357 6471 or email philip.daws@btinternet.com