State Street supports schools in Jersey's first book festival

Wednesday 15 July 2015

Connections: Jersey Festival of Words 2015 is pleased to announce that Jersey schoolchildren will be able to attend a wide range of literary events for free this October thanks to a recent sponsorship by financial services firm State Street.

The literary festival, which will be the island’s first, runs from September 30th to October 4th and features a wide-ranging educational programme.

This will feature in-school workshops and several shows to be staged at the Opera House in which students will be given the chance to meet, hear and question several renowned children’s authors.

These will include the award-winning Holly Smale whose Geek Girl series has been an international smash hit; Steve Butler, author of The Diary of Dennis the Menace; and new writer Jess Bright (whose novel Sister Sister will be released this year) who will be talking about her book and giving tips to aspiring young novelists. Older students will also be able to attend events featuring writers Owen Sheers and Simon Barnes free of charge.

“We are delighted to be a main sponsor of Jersey’s first Festival of Words and particularly to have the opportunity to support the education programme.” said Mike Newton, managing director of State Street in Jersey. “It’s an exciting and inspired collaboration between organisers and schools that will enable thousands of schoolchildren to study books of the writers in advance of the festival and to hear and meet with them during the event.

"The sponsorship fits well with State Street’s own corporate social responsibility objectives in that we are supporting an event that brings wide ranging value to the community, especially in promoting the joys of reading to young people of all ages, whilst also offering opportunities for some of our employees to play an active role in this inspirational festival."

Festival chairman Jennifer Bridge says that the firm’s sponsorship is good news for young readers.

She said: "The ethos of the festival is inclusivity so this sponsorship is very important to us as it ensures that all Island children will have access to some amazing events."