SONI, the Electricity System Operator for Northern Ireland runs and plans the electricity grid and has celebrated its partnership with BookTrust NI by gifting additional reading packs to children at the Kells & Connor Pre-School.

The partnership between SONI and BookTrust NI promotes reading for pleasure across communities helping to ensure children and young people develop a love of reading and benefit from the advantages that a love of reading books can play from early in a child’s life. The partnership supports SONI’s corporate social responsibility objective to help remove barriers to education.

Families of the children at the Kells and Connor Pre-School have been encouraged to read with them, to develop the pattern of regular reading, through the gift of carefully chosen reading packs known as Treasure Packs.

Children were presented with their very own book pack to take home and share with their families ahead of Christmas.

Lucy Lewis, Book Trust spokesperson said: “BookTrust’s mission is to get children reading and this ongoing partnership with SONI enables us to put books directly into the hands of families across Northern Ireland. To be able to provide additional book packs to the pre-school children in Kells and Connor after a challenging year is a welcome gift this Christmas!”

Daniel Caines SONI spokesperson stated: “We are delighted to be in partnership with BookTrust NI and it is great to be able to provide some much needed Christmas cheer at Kells & Connor Pre-School after the year we have all had. SONI supports BookTrust NI’s vision to help ensure the best possible start for the next generation as we recognise the importance of working hand-in-hand with local communities. We are very happy to be back in Kells supporting as children take their first steps on the lifelong adventure that reading brings.”