MAYOR HEADS BACK TO SCHOOL TO MARK NATIONAL YEAR OF READING AND SET OUT HIS AMBITION FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

Published 9 January 2026 at 4:19pm

South Yorkshire’s Mayor Oliver Coppard started the new year by returning to his old school to mark 2026 as the National Year of Reading and outline his ambition to ensure every child in South Yorkshire has the best possible start in life. 

Mayor Coppard visited Porter Croft Primary School in Sheffield on Wednesday 7 January, to read Banana Hunt by local author, Suzy Senior, to Year 1 pupils. Later this year, the Mayor will launch his Every Child a Reader programme to help children and families build a love of reading as part of a £2.55million funding package. 

During the visit, pupils shared their favourite stories and teachers demonstrated how reading is embedded in everyday classroom life. The visit highlights the Mayor’s broader commitment to putting children and young people at the heart of his plans for the year ahead.  

The Mayor’s passion for reading stems from his time working for national children’s reading charity BookTrust, where he saw first-hand the difference that books and stories can make to a child’s life. 

Every Child a Reader will sit alongside a wider package of support for children, young people and families across South Yorkshire that is helping to give every child the best start in life, including: 

Beds for Babies: Launched in June 2024 the programme guarantees a safe bed for every child under five. Over 6,700 essential items have been provided with over 3,300 children supported. Pilots have also been launched in Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham to test new ways of working and enhancing the programme. 

South Yorkshire Music Hub: South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) is working with local music hubs in each area across the region to form the South Yorkshire Music Hub. Led by SYMCA and funded by Arts Council England and the Department for Education, it’s an ambitious programme providing high-quality music education for all children and young people. With SYMCA’s support new equipment and instruments will continue to arrive throughout 2026, good practice is being shared across the region, and new partners have been brought on board.  

Barnsley MiCard: The return of the Barnsley MiCard in August 2025 enabled free bus travel for all under 18s. Over seventeen thousand young people now have a MiCard with over 780,000 journeys made since launch. Over 60% of these journeys are being undertaken by residents of Barnsley’s most deprived areas with the number of bus journeys undertaken by young people up by over 50%. The scheme, which will run for two years, was made possible thanks to a £1million investment from SYMCA and a £5 million investment from Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council. 

Mayor’s Walk and Wheel Challenge: After two successful years with over 220 schools taking part across South Yorkshire, the five-day challenge will be returning in 2026 in collaboration with Living Streets. The challenge encourages primary school children to walk, wheel and cycle to school each day.  Alongside this, Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield Ride & Scoot is providing children from the most deprived communities with balance and pedal bikes and scooters to encourage hundreds of families to scoot or cycle on the school run. 

Active Travel Upgrades: South Yorkshire has been recognised as one of the top-performing regions in the country for walking, wheeling and cycling after being upgraded to a Level 3 status in Active Travel England’s Capability ratings. South Yorkshire continues to collectively build on a strong foundation of projects designed to improve journeys and give people more choice in how they travel - including more than 88 kilometres of new routes, over 250 new or better crossings, and helping thousands of adults and children feel confident walking, wheeling, or cycling.    

National Centre for Child Health Technology: SYMCA have played a pivotal role in the centre based at Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park by contributing £6million to accelerate delivery, create high-value jobs and position the region as a global leader in child health innovation. The centre is set to become the world’s most advanced facility for paediatric health innovation, tackling issues like obesity, mental health, and long-term conditions. Backed by £20million in capital investment, the centre will drive cutting-edge research and technology development for children’s health.  

South Yorkshire’s Mayor Oliver Coppard said: “A love of reading changed my life. It opened doors I never thought possible as a kid growing up here in South Yorkshire. That’s why I’m so passionate about making sure every child has that same chance. 

“Books spark imagination, build confidence, and help shape futures. That’s what I saw first-hand working with BookTrust, and it’s why our Every Child a Reader programme matters so much to me, and to South Yorkshire.  

“It’s part of a bigger mission: to give every young person the best possible start in life. Whether that’s a safe place to sleep, the chance to fall in love with music, or the freedom to travel and explore. 

“Together, these initiatives are about giving every child the chance to dream bigger, learn more, and make the most of their talents. Because our young people deserve nothing less.” 

South Yorkshire’s range of initiatives to support young people reflect a long-term commitment to creating a region where every child can feel supported, inspired and able to reach their potential and form a wider ambition for South Yorkshire to be the best place to grow up, putting the voices, experiences and futures of young people at the centre of regional priorities. 

South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority will be working with local councils and the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector to boost things we already know work, test out new ways of working and help scale good practice and new programmes.