Mr. Eccleston ｕｐ ｄａｔｅd news

Tuesday, 23 September 2008
Freelance journalist Rachel Broady, a former staffer for the MEN, has
signed up a host of local celebrities in a new initiative to promote the
National Year of Reading.
Broady, who co-runs the Creative Collective writing co-operative and
teaches at MMU, has recruited stars such as Dave Spikey, Christopher
Eccleston and Carol Ann Duffy to write and send postcards from the pages of
their favourite books.

EcclestonSpikey, for example, wrote from Paris in homage to A Tale of
Two Cities by Charles Dickens.

The cards are now being shown on the BBC Big Screen in Exchange Square
and will then 'tour' the country's 16 other big screens in a bid to inspire
the UK public to read more.

In addition, postcards have been made available for the public to
download and write, while they've also been sent out to reading and writing
groups, libraries, schools, colleges and bookshops.

This gives people the chance to ape the celebrities and write
postcards from their own favourite books, while also earning the chance to
win £25 in book vouchers.

MMU helped to ｃ ｒｅａｔｅ and distribute the cards, while the project was
developed and supported by Manchester Libraries, Manchester Adult Education
Services and Borders Bookshops.

Other celebrity writers include Jenny Éclair, Peter Purves and Ben
Elton.

www.manchesterreads .org.uk

www.creativecollect ive.org.uk