The Ospreys will mark World Book Day on Thursday 7th March with a special tour of schools across the region.
Players will be visiting primary schools in each of the three unitary authorities where they will be encouraging the youngsters to enjoy reading books.
The squad has been split into groups ahead of 12 school visits on the day, where they will attend a special assembly, the players reading specially selected ‘favourite’ school books before taking part in a book themed question and answer session where they will discuss their own reading habits with the children.
Four schools from each unitary authority will welcome the players as follows:
Bridgend
Llangynwyd, Mynydd Cynffig, Plasnewydd, Porthcawl
Neath Port Talbot
Alderman Davies, Creunant, Cwm Nedd, Pontrhydyfen
Swansea
Glais, Mayals, Penyrheol, St Helens
Now in its 18th year, World Book Day is an annual charity event aimed to promote reading, with millions of book tokens handed out each year to school children in the UK and a growing number of events taking place to encourage youngsters to enjoy reading regularly.
Keith Collins, Ospreys Schools Co-ordinator, said that the region were delighted to be able to offer their support of World Book Day:
“Literacy is a skill that like any other must be learnt. Despite us being in the age of technology, it remains as essential a skill for everyday life as ever so it is crucial that young Ospreylian children are encouraged to read at every opportunity, which is what World Book Day is all about.
“Reading forms a big part of the holistic development of our players, not just for relaxation purposes but helping them to understand their jobs and become better players which is why it is so important that we get the message across about how important a skill reading is.
“Given the players position as role models to their younger fans it’s vital that their use that privileged position to benefit the local community, and our involvement in World Book Day will hopefully help to inspire the children they meet to discover for themselves the pleasure of getting lost in a good book.”
Ospreys favourite Ian Gough is an avid reader himself and he
“I spend a lot of time travelling because of my job and without the escape of a good book I would be incredibly bored spending so much time on planes and buses going to matches and back again.
“It’s important that we can encourage children to read and make them realise that is fun and not hard work. Hopefully the Ospreys involvement in World Book Day, and these school visits, will have a positive impact on the pupils we meet and encourage them to try turning to a book instead of their games console the next time they are bored at home.”