Leeds United Under-23 duo celebrate World Book Day 2021

Leeds United Under-23 duo celebrate World Book Day 2021

Virtual session held to mark World Book Day.

The Leeds United Foundation have been celebrating the World Book Day campaign through a number of different activities including a special virtual session with Under-23 stars Olly Casey and Stuart McKinstry.

The Leeds United Academy duo took time out of their schedule on Thursday afternoon to join a Zoom call with students at Ledger Lane Primary School, part of the Wakefield Community Foundation, to chat with the youngsters about their favourite books and authors growing up and the importance of reading and having other hobbies away from football that can help with relaxation and positive mental wellbeing.

The Year 6 pupils taking part in the Q and A session really enjoyed the opportunity to meet the young Leeds United prospects, asking their own questions and being involved in something different to their usual educational routine, encouraging stimulation and engagement.

Jacob, one of the young students taking part in the virtual Q and A, said: "It was really inspiring doing the session with the Leeds United players because it taught me how fun reading can be and how you can achieve your goals through reading.

"I'm a big Leeds United fan so it was shocking to actually talk to some of the players and I was a bit blown away by how nice they really were."

Luke Shale, the Head of Education and Training with Wakefield Community Trust, added: “As soon as the opportunity arose, the School Sport Partnership department were keen to be involved. This was a fantastic initiative that combined both sport and education while offering us the chance to celebrate World Book Day in the best possible way.

“The students and teachers were all really excited about the prospect of working with Leeds United to put this project on and a massive thank you to the two players for taking part in the session.”

Coaches from the club's official charity that work on the Premier League Primary Stars education team have been delivering exclusive sessions in schools throughout the week to mark World Book Day (Thursday 4 March), which is the annual campaign that celebrates authors, illustrators, books, and the joy of reading.

Working closely with the Premier League, who hosted live sessions with star authors as part of the celebrations on Thursday morning, the Leeds United Foundation has also given away over 600 books to local primary schools throughout Leeds, ensuring young students have new and exciting material to read once they are back at school from Monday 8 March.

World Book Day is the perfect event to encourage the younger generation to tap into the benefits of reading and for many young people who have struggled with various educational challenges over the last year, it offers a great chance to pick up a new book and see what comes next.

If you would like more information about the work being done in the local community through the Premier League Primary Stars education programme, please contact Mathew.Everett@leedsunited.com.

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