They decided to target a range of audience through existing partners - Brent Adult Community Education, the College of North West London, children's centres, Brent Homeless User Group and other smaller groups staff already had links with. Staff briefed tutors and agreed a timetable of visits to classes and learning centres so that Challenge participants can swap their books. The aim is to support 400 learners to complete the Challenge and to ask them to a celebration event in the library during Adult Learners' Week.

"It has been hard work and staff going out to classes have put in a lot of leg work.," says Adele Finch, Libraries Development Manager. "But to have 581 people take part in this Challenge, most of whom have never set foot in a library before and don't read regularly, makes it worth it."

The Reading Agency has created an ideas guide and a writing pack to support the new titles downloadable from the Quick Reads website or the Reading Agency website where you can also find resources to support all the Quick Reads published since 2006.

New for 2010, Quick Reads are available to download direct to computers, phones and e-readers as eBooks. With a range of features, including screen reader capability, this a great interactive way to enjoy the books. To celebrate World Book Day, Quick Reads is exclusively offering one title - The Thief by Ruth Rendell - as a free download (see below), for one week only from 4th March 2010.Find out more.

Introduced by Kilkenny Library Service in 2009, the Callenge ran in partnership with a number of local agencies including Word Aid, National Learning Network, TASK, Rehab Care, Moving On Programme, SOS, KEY, St. Johns Parents Group and culminated in an evening of entertainment with music by Mick Hanly, stories by Peter Sheridan and presentation of certificates to all participants. Kilkenny is the first library authority in Ireland to take part in the challenge and Challenge organiser Trish Nolan is hoping their experience will encourage others to take part. The Challenge 2010 is underway is KIlkenny and receiving great interest so far. Galway and Cavan have also signed up this year.

"I had no interest in reading until I took part in the Six Book Challenge and joined the library" (Josie, Moving On Project)

"I love reading now since joining the Six Book Challenge. It's great to turn off from everything and get lost in a book." (Melanie, Moving On Project)

"I never picked up a book before and never had a notion of it. Now, with the help of my tutor, I'm able to make out new words myself and understand them. I'm on my third book since January and the first book I read I had a good laugh all the way through." (Nick, Word Aid)

"There is a great deal of Six Book Challenge activity in the North West and having the NHS Trusts as part of it is a huge boost to us. It will work really well if we can get union learning reps in all these workplaces supporting and promoting the Challenge. I know some of the Trusts are having those meetings right now," David Kendall, project manager, The Reading Agency.

'This is going to be great for NHS staff. I've been really keen for us to get involved in the Challenge and am delighted that so many NHS Trusts have taken this opportunity to encourage more people into their libraries.' Shân Annis, NHS North West CPD and Partnerships Manager.

Tricia Hartley, Chief Executive, Campaign for Learning said, "Our research shows that people would rather work for an employer that offers learning opportunities than one which offers higher wages but few opportunities. Taking up the Six Book Challenge is a great way for organisations to show their commitment to learning and its staff and we are delighted to team up with The Reading Agency and Transworld Publishers to support this through Learning at Work Day 2010."

Download and complete this entry form by Wednesday 30 June. In the meantime please get in touch with David Kendall if you'd like to know more about running the Six Book Challenge in the workplace or with Julia Wright the Campaign for Learning for more about Learning at Work Day on 20 May 2010.

"I used to read at school years ago but I didn't read at all until recently. I was definitely what you'd call a non-reader. I just read what I had to for work and that was it. I did the Six Book Challenge and haven't stopped reading since." Janet Boner, Alder Hey, NHS

The Six Book Challenge in the workplace is initiated, run and promoted by union learning reps from several different unions but all with the same commitment to introducing adults to reading for pleasure.

"We really want this to be a big success," says Tony Saunders, Saunders, union development co-ordinator in the North West. "The Six Book Challenge is a great motivator, and we see reading for pleasure as a key factor in people taking up learning opportunities inside and outside the workplace."

"Our stubborn national skills problems show we need new ways to tackle literacy issues," says Miranda McKearney, Director of The Reading Agency. "We launched the Six Book Challenge in 2008, and I wish we'd started it years ago! It's a deceptively simple, motivational scheme that has a tremendous impact on people's lives. We're urging libraries, adult learning providers and workplaces to the Challenge to mark the Festival of Learning in October."

More organisations got involved in 2009 and higher numbers have registered for the Challenge in many places. Highest scorers include Sheffield Libraries with 220, Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust wtih 204, Middlesbrough 196, Kirklees 127, Westminster 121, West Sussex 109, Brent 108, Kilkenny 106 and Telford and Poole 100. Two-thirds of library participants were female and aged between 25 and 55. As a whole participants came from a wide variety of ethnic groups indicating that ESOL learners are finding the Six Book Challenge very useful.

The average completion rate is 40% but there are some notable exceptions of very high rates from Stockton, Worcester, East Berkshire College, Blackburn, South Tyneside and 100% from Haven Products in Glasgow, the Wirral, Gateshead, Enfield and Lambeth - congratulations to all concerned!

Data from libraries shows that they worked with a very wide range of partners in 2009 including mental health groups, parents' groups, probation serviceds, migrants' resource centres and Army barracks as well as colleges, adult education, prisons and workplaces. There was an increase in events linked to the Challenge and a doubling of reading group activity.

Few more stats

Link to research report on TRA pages

Mike's latest book, and his first work of non-fiction,The To-Do List, was published on 8 January 2009. On the eve of his 36th birthday, Mike picks up a pen and writes a To-Do list of all the things he has meant to do but never quite got round to. It's a long list. There's a lot of stuff that needs doing. But unlike previous lists, made and long abandoned, Mike promises himself that this one will actually get DONE.

See more about Mike on his website.

The Six Book Challenge was represented at the ceremony by three practitioners from HMP YOI Brinsford who kindly hosted the judges' visit back in May - Jean Reed, Prison Library Service Young Offenders Advisor, Staffordshire County Council and her colleagues Alan Smith, Library Supervisor, and Joan Morgan, Literacy Co-ordinator, from HMP YOI Brinsford. They talked about the impact of the Challenge on lads in the prison, many of whom had previously read very little.

For the second year running, Alan has run the Challenge over a concentrated period of a few weeks to keep the lads focused and motivated. Working closely with Joan, his library assistant Adeline and library orderly Calum, he encouraged 68 lads to sign up this year. Twelve completed six books, three of whom have since left the prison. Another 11 didn't get a chance to finish because they left or moved on to another prison - proving the point that we have to get the Challenge running across all prisons! We're really grateful to Brinsford and Staffordshire Libraries for their support for our application.

The winner is HMP Perth in Scotland where ten prisoners took part in the Six Book Challenge. Sandra Currie, Literacy Development Officer with Perth & Kinross Libraries, has been running the Six Book Challenge in both the local community and within the prison. "I am so pleased that HMP Perth has won the prize draw," comments Sandra, "and I know the tutors and learners will be equally as thrilled."

Library staff worked with prison education tutors to promote the scheme to prisoners. Here are couple of responses:

Has reading books for the challenge been enjoyable for you, and if so why?

"Yes, I have found out if I take time out to think I can get through a lot more situations in a more positive way as I had a bit of difficulty in the past with that and it was taking time out to read that I got this help from."

Do you think you will carry on reading after the challenge?

"I really hope so - will definitely try, especially if we can keep the book group going. It really makes you think 'Why do I not read more than I have?'"

Dunja got involved in the Six Book Challenge through an English conversation class in Battersea Park Library. She read several titles either specially written for emergent readers - Not a Star by Nick Hornby and Girl on the Platform by Josephine Cox - or short versions of classics such as The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Macbeth. But her favourite book is Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden which she read first as in an abridged form and then in the full version.

Dunja was a keen reader when she was younger and has read all the Harry Potter titles in German. But she had not read for a while before she came to England and wanted to improve her English. She feels the Six Book Challenge and the support of the library has helped her to do this. She is now enrolled on a drama summer school at Battersea Arts Centre. 'It's really amazing that I won the prize!' says Dunja. 'I still can't really believe it."

Dunja wins a trip to a West End show for two, an overnight stay in a London hotel and spending money.

Getting Reading to Work: unions, libraries and the Six Book Challenge is being launched at the third annual unionlearn conference at Congress House, Central London on 11 June 2009. It tells six inspirational stories of how union learning reps (ULRs) in Yorkshire and the Humber have worked with libraries to use the Six Book Challenge in Tesco, Corus Steelworks, Royal Mail, HMP Moorland, Fox's Biscuits and Fletchers Bakeries.

The Reading Agency continues to work closely with unionlearn to increase use of the Six Book Challenge among employees in a range of settings across the country. In 2009 around 27 workplaces were involved in Yorkshire and the Humber and another eight in the North West incuding MerseyTravel, Warburtons, Alderhey Hospital, Littlewoods and United Biscuits. Several ULRs used Learning at Work Day on 14 May to launch the scheme or to celebrate the success of participants.

You can download a copy of the booklet above. Or printed copies are available to order from the TUC.