66 young people were celebrated for their contribution to this year's Summer Reading Challenge at a special event in the past week.  

The volunteers, all aged between 13-17, dedicated a combined 1269 hours of their own time to encourage and champion children and young people to complete the reading challenge.

They were presented with certificates and medals at the award ceremony, attended by Cllr Kairen Raper, Mayor of Thurrock; Cllr Valerie Morris-Cook, Cabinet Member for Community Partnerships; Cllr Ryan Polston, and special guests from The Reading Agency, organisers of the Summer Reading Challenge. 

The Summer Reading Challenge took place this year from Saturday 13 July to Saturday 7 September and focused on creativity with its theme Marvellous Makers.

The Summer Reading Challenge encourages children of all ages in Thurrock to join in, with the aim of inspiring children to become storytellers and makers, encouraging them to read for pleasure and develop their creative thinking skills. 

Cllr Morris-Cook also added: "It's fantastic to see so many bright young children discover the importance and joys of reading. Reading is an essential skill, and our libraries and volunteers have done a great job in encouraging and supporting the next generation of Thurrock."

"This award ceremony is great opportunity to congratulate an amazing cohort of young people and to recognise them for a job well done."