A BRADFORD girl has kept children entertained and helped them develop their confidence with reading by becoming a Literacy Champion.
Taliah Richmond was just four years old and learning to talk when the pandemic broke out and she became a Literacy Champion volunteer for the National Literacy Trust.
She is now reaching her eighth birthday, has been elected to the Student Council at her school, and wants to become a change-maker for future generations.
Taliah and her mother Simone Reid, 38, greeted families' screens with storytime videos to keep them entertained during lockdown.
They spotted a unique opportunity to role-model storytelling as a way to support family literacy skills and learning at home for the National Literacy Trust Bradford Hub.
Literacy Champions are supported volunteers who work alongside local teams in the National Literacy Trust Hubs to deliver and support activities where low levels of literacy are seriously impacting people’s lives.
They live or work in the heart of their communities and understand the unique challenges and opportunities of their area.
This makes them trusted local voices and best placed to bring people together to make a change.
The enterprising mother and daughter have produced craft activities, donated books to community spaces and events, and celebrated World Book Day with Blue Peter.
Simone, said: “Volunteering has really given Taliah a sense of responsibility and confidence.
"She’s now engaging with new activities at home, in the community and on the Bradford Stories Bus.
“She’s wanting to be a world leader, she’s concerned about conflicts in Yemen, poverty in her local community, and how she wants to create more peace and prosperity. When she’s handing out books, she genuinely gets a sense of joy from that.”
Since becoming a Literacy Champion with the National Literacy Trust in Bradford, seven-year-old Taliah has gone on to be recognised for her reading fluency and comprehension in class and is helping to drive change in her School Council.
Simone went on: “To see how (Taliah) participates and volunteers to answer questions, like at an event with author Harry Heape on the Bradford Stories Bus, is amazing. She’s now not afraid to step into a spotlight and she’s built those muscles to put herself out there.
“She’s now part of the Student Council - so being a role model seems to be at her core now.”
Bradford Stories is an initiative from the National Literacy Trust and Bradford Council.
Launched in 2014, it brings together a range of partners to improve literacy levels in the city and to promote reading, writing, speaking, and listening to those who need it most.
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