KM Group has launched 2017 as its Year of Reading to champion literacy in schools and across the community.

This week the campaign received the backing of Terry Waite. Almost 30 years after he was taken hostage in Lebanon, the former envoy of the Archbishop of Canterbury, officially launched the KM Group’s Year of Reading.

Mr Waite, 77, met KM Group staff and members of the KM Charity Team who will deliver community events to promote the Year of Reading.

He described how his five year captivity had highlighted the importance of reading and imagination. Citing his love of literature as an important element in surviving his ordeal, he said: “In my years of captivity much of my time was spent in solitary confinement, mostly in darkness, I had no books or paper at all for almost four years. I had to use my imagination, I had to begin to write in my head. I could do that because my imagination had been stimulated as a child through books.”

Mr Waite praised the initiatives focus on reading across Kent and continued: “Reading ultimately helps to develop a child’s imagination and they will find with books in their life they will lead a richer and fuller life.”

Geraldine Allinson, chair of the KM Group, briefed Mr Waite on the campaign and added: “Even in these modern days of digital technology reading skills are just as important to people’s lives as they have always been – throughout 2017 KM will be supporting and promoting a range of different initiatives to help children and adults in Kent to develop their reading abilities. We think it is really important to help improve the future prospects of people in our county and developing reading skills is an essential way to do this.”

During 2017 a number of major events will be staged that have literacy at their heart including the Kent Teacher of the Year Awards and Kent Literacy Awards. KM Charity Team’s home reading initiative Buster’s Book Club will also take the spotlight as the 25,000 families involved try to become reading millionaires by collectively reading more than two million minutes.

The campaign is supported by Orbit, Golding Homes, Kent County Council, Medway Council, London Borough of Bexley, 3Rs teacher recruitment, Kent Reliance, Whitefriars, Specsavers, Eurostar and Bel UK.

To keep up to date with the campaign sign up to the KM Charity Team’s monthly e-newsletter, KM Charity Link, at the website www.kmcharityteam.co.uk or follow it on Twitter at #kmyearofreading