Great Harwood teacher hides books around town to promote reading

Mrs Colvin said the reaction for children and parents in the town had been "phenomenal"

A primary school teacher who hid 150 books around her hometown for children to hunt has said the aim was to try and get them "excited to read".

Ashlee Colvin said she wanted children to be "surrounded by books and see reading as fun, rather than a chore".

The mum-of-one said that idea led her to put books for four to nine-year-olds all round Great Harwood in Lancashire.

She said she "wanted a different way to get books into the community" and the reaction had been "phenomenal".

Mrs Colvin said she had been teaching for nine years and had "seen a slow decline in reading with kids more interested in tablets and YouTube".

The Year Three teacher said she wanted to change the perception children have of books, "because as a kid, I didn't like books and struggled with reading, so I'm trying to make it more fun".

'Read and re-hide'

She said after having the idea for the book hunt, she had appealed for help on her town's local Facebook page for donations, as it "was important that the books were free, so everyone could take part".

"It wouldn't have been possible without the generous support of the four businesses - Target Tuition, That Boho Company, Trinity Methodist Church and Churchfield House," she said.

With the businesses donations, Mrs Colvin, who has also partnered with children's book publisher Usborne, ordered 150 books, packaged them up and hid them around the town.

Mrs Colvin said the local community were "now carrying on the hunt independently"

She said the reaction had been "phenomenal", adding: "The kids and parents are excited to read and get outdoors and hunt for the books."

"I wanted a different way to get books into the community, rather then just selling them," she said.

"The community are now carrying on the hunt independently.

"The children can choose to keep the book if they want or read and re-hide it, posting clues of the location on the Facebook group I've set up."

She added that she hoped to do more hunts in future and expand the age range.