YOUNG people in the Wellington area with a love of reading are being invited to share its pleasures with children.

Somerset County Council is calling on youngsters aged between 13 and 15 to sign up as volunteers for this year’s Summer Reading Challenge.

Last year almost 100 young people volunteered with Somerset Libraries to help encourage children to read during the summer holidays, a time when a child’s reading habits typically reduce.

This year’s theme is ‘The Big Friendly Read’ celebrating the 100-year anniversary of author Roald Dhal’s birth. Volunteers will get involved in lots of activities to help inspire children to read at least six books over the holidays.

Last year’s volunteers found themselves designing craft activities and creating displays for library walls as well as the day-to-day work of helping the children to find books. Volunteers will also be responsible for registering children for the Summer Reading Challenge and recording and celebrating their progress with stickers, certificates and medals.

Cllr David Hall, cabinet member with a responsibility for libraries, said: “Somerset has an amazing network of hard-working volunteers and we would love you to come forward and do the same for our libraries this summer. If you are a young person with a love and passion for books and reading why not come forward to share that with a younger generation? Your inspiration could be just what that child needs to develop a lifelong love of reading.”

Young people all over Somerset have been expressing an interest in volunteering, with applications already flooding in.

For more information and an application form, visit Wellington library or go to www.srchallenge.weebly.com The closing date for applications is July 10.