It’s get set, go for reading in Gretna

‘Get Reading Gretna’ is a 16 week campaign that follows in the successful footsteps of a similar programme run in Dunbar — and now it’s Gretna Primary’s turn.
The launch was attended by school pupils, deputy head Arna Redden and Councillor Archie Dryburgh, as well as representatives from different campaigns looking to raise awareness.
David Scott from Nil by Mouth, a charity challenging sectarianism, said: “We came along today after Archie Dryburgh asked us to get involved.
“Our aim is to educate people of all ages and with an event like this, it allows children of a young age to learn about the challenges football and other sports can face from sectarianism. It also raises the awareness of what sectarianism actually is and that there is no place for it in sport or in the community.”
The programme is aiming for representatives like David, along with authors from the area, to encourage reading and see a rise around Gretna.
Local councillor Archie Dryburgh said: “By having people from local businesses as well as authors come in and express the positive influence reading has had on their lives, we hope to see kids put down the X-box controllers and read more often.”
“And it’s not just for youngsters, older people can benefit from reading more as well, as more frequent reading has shown to reduce the onset of things like dementia.”
A total of 23 per cent of adults in Dumfries and Galloway have literacy problems, and Councillor Dryburgh believes that ‘Get Reading Gretna’ is required.
He said: “Something like this which can benefit so many people in the area is seen as a priority by myself and my party.”
He added: “We’ve calculated the total cost of the project will be just under £5000 and so far we’ve raised half already.”