ScottishPower in conjunction with the Edinburgh International Book Festival is celebrating the fifth year of Swap Shop – an award winning project that encourages primary school children to read more and recycle old books.

Swap Shop is great fun and importantly really easy to run. Each pupil is encouraged to bring in a book, which they then swap with their schoolmates. This provides a perfect opportunity to get the whole school together, swapping books and sharing stories.  Many pupils might want to swap their books for ones from the class above, developing their literacy skills and enabling them to discover new stories. Five lucky schools will also get the chance to win an exclusive visit from a children’s author attending the Edinburgh International Book Festival. 

A key aspect of Swap Shop is to encourage awareness amongst school pupils about the work being done by Scottish charities. For the third year, children’s charity Aberlour has been selected as the official charity partner. Aberlour operates across Scotland, providing a range of services, support and advice for vulnerable children, young people and families. All monies raised by children taking part in the 2013 Swap Shop will go directly to the charity.

To be in with a chance of winning one of five author visits, schools are invited to complete their Swap Shop by the end of the summer term. For further information on registration which closes on Friday 24th May and taking part please contact Emma Paul at Stripe Communications on 0131 561 8628 or swapshop@stripecommunications.com.