The UK government and National Literacy Trust launched the National Year of Reading 2026 with a "Go All In" campaign, backed by the Premier League and beloved authors, to reverse a steep decline in reading for pleasure.
The United Kingdom has launched its National Year of Reading 2026, described as the biggest reading campaign in a generation. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson formally kicked off the initiative on 13 January 2026 at the Emirates Stadium, home of Arsenal Football Club, a setting chosen to show how everyday passions like football can spark a lifelong love of reading. The campaign is led by the Department for Education in partnership with the National Literacy Trust.
At its heart is a simple, inclusive message: "Go All In." Rather than prescribing what people should read, the campaign invites readers of all ages to follow their existing interests, whether music, sport, cooking, science fiction, or family life, and discover how reading can deepen the things they already love. Crucially, it embraces every format, from novels and e-books to comics, blogs, and audiobooks, meeting people where they are.
“Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson formally kicked off the initiative on 13 January 2026 at the Emirates Stadium, home of Arsenal Football Club, a setting chosen to show how everyday passions like football can spark a lifelong love of reading.”
The campaign responds to a worrying trend. Reading for pleasure among young people has fallen to its lowest level since 2005, with only about one in three children aged 8 to 18 saying they enjoy reading in their spare time. Boys have been particularly affected, with just a quarter reporting that they enjoy reading, compared with a higher share of girls. Reading habits shape vocabulary, empathy, academic success, and future opportunity, making the decline a matter of real social concern.
The effort has drawn an unusually broad coalition of support. The Premier League, which has partnered with the National Literacy Trust on reading projects for some 25 years, has thrown its weight behind the campaign, as have celebrated authors including Michael Morpurgo, Julia Donaldson, and Cressida Cowell, alongside sports stars and television personalities.
By framing reading not as a chore but as a gateway to the things people are already excited about, the National Year of Reading aims to reconnect millions with the pleasure and power of books. Libraries, schools, clubs, and families across the country are being encouraged to take part throughout 2026. If it succeeds, the campaign could help a new generation rediscover that a good story, whatever its form, is one of life's most accessible and enduring joys.
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Good News Good Vibes. (2026, January 13). UK Launches National Year of Reading to Rekindle the Joy of Books. Retrieved from https://goodnewsgoodvibes.com/en/article/uk-national-year-of-reading-2026-launched
https://goodnewsgoodvibes.com/en/article/uk-national-year-of-reading-2026-launched
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Last reviewed: January 13, 2026
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