National Writing Day 2020

Today is National Writing Day, the annual nationwide celebration of the pleasure and power of writing and words!

The Duchess of Cornwall is associated with approximately 100 charities, acting as their Patron or President. These can be categorised into key themes that are closest to The Duchess’ heart, many of which are literacy-themed. The Duchess frequently promotes the power of words in many shapes and forms, from judging competitions including the 500 Words creative writing competition earlier this month, to reminding students on World Book Day how “books never lost their signal or run out of battery and they will always take you to a thousand different worlds with every turn of a page.” HRH even shared some of her favourite reads in the form of a Lockdown reading list a few months ago.

Led by First Story of which HRH is Patron, National Writing Day is a coalition of literacy charities and publishers all working to celebrate the power of writing! This year First Story are challenging everyone to write just 24 words, in 7 minutes, starting with the prompt ‘One day...’ and then to share their stories!

The best entries will be showcased in an online exhibition and archived by the British Library, as part of a project to record a snapshot of people’s thoughts and experiences during COVID-19.

First Story is partnered with National Literacy Trust of which The Duchess is also Patron. National Literacy Trust have marked the occasion by releasing new findings on young people’s writing. The results reported that children and young people said writing helped them process and cope with feelings of worry, anxiety and uncertainty around the coronavirus pandemic.

There are so many reasons and ways in which to write. Next week is the deadline for The Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition 2020. The competition invites young people to submit any form of creative writing in response to this year’s theme 'Climate Action and the Commonwealth'. Initiatives such as ‘My Dear New Friend’ supported by National Literacy Trust encourage people to write to care homes and offer their friendship in the form of a pen pal.

National Literacy Trust has published a series of free activities to inspire young people to write at home.