From setting up a blind date book session to establishing a reading corner at work, the Publishers Association is looking to recruit 10,000 “reading ambassadors” in a bid to promote reading for pleasure in the UK.

Citing statistics from the National Literacy Trust which show that one in six adults struggle with literacy, and from the Read On Get On campaign, showing that a fifth of children in England cannot read well when they leave primary school, the PA launched its appeal for volunteers willing to share their love of reading with others. The publishers’ body hopes to recruit 10,000 “reading ambassadors” by 2020, and is urging its volunteers to do everything from setting up a book group to volunteering at their local library.

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Susie Winter, director of policy, said: “We’re asking people to become reading ambassadors as we believe that those who know the power of reading for pleasure are best placed to help others discover a love of reading.

“Reading, and reading for pleasure, gives so much. It provides an outlet for creativity, is an accessible form of entertainment with no further equipment being needed, and as more and more evidence demonstrates, increases your job chances, improves attainment in maths and sciences, and has an effect on empathy levels,” said Winter. “This is why it is so important to encourage reading and why the PA has launched this ambitious programme. Reading really does matter and therefore the more we can do to encourage people to do it, and show how others can do the same, the better.”

Supported by authors and illustrators including Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre, the initiative will provide ambassadors with information, resources and guidance on how to share their love of reading. Ideas for volunteers, who can sign up online, range from putting together a book corner at work or in a community centre, to hosting a blind date book session. “It makes a great icebreaker and is a great way to get people reading and talking. Simply ask people to wrap up and bring along a book they’ve loved, and swap with someone else,” suggests the PA.

“Books have always been important to me throughout my life, so of course I’m hugely in favour of anything which encourages more people to read for pleasure,” said Reeve, author of the Mortal Engines series and winner of the Guardian children’s book award.

The Publishers Association will be recruiting for volunteers with a series of roadshows throughout the UK, including the Hay literary festival and at the Edinburgh international book festival later this year.