On Thursday 8th October, the children at Ecclesbourne took part in a Readathon with the aim to set a new GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title for the most people reading online in 12 hours.
The record attempt is part of the Take 10 to Read campaign in the National Year of Reading 2026.
The children in years 1-3 joined an online workshop with the author Rashmi Sirdeshpande who wrote the books ‘Hari Kumar, Ultimate Superstar’ and ‘This is Who I Am’.
The children in years 4-6 joined an online workshop with Frank Cottrell-Boyce who served as the Children’s Laureate in 2026. After the author’s spoke to the children about the writing process, all the children were invited to ‘Take 10 to Read’ in an attempt to set a new Guinness World Record title. It was lovely to see all the children engaged in reading their books and contributing to the readathon.
This event also tied in to our recent work on mental health with World Mental Health Day falling on Saturday 10th October. ‘Take 10 to Read’ highlights the wellbeing benefits of reading including how reading for pleasure can improve children’s empathy and lower stress levels.
In the National Year of Reading, the message is simple: whatever you’re into, take 10 to read into it.
A huge well done to all the children who took part and contributed to a new Guinness World Record title!
