Southampton FC has teamed up with the BBC RaW campaign and Southampton City Council for a new initiative to help adults improve their reading and writing skills. It's part of RaW - a three year national BBC campaign aiming to bring fun back to reading and writing - whether it be reading books, magazines, football programmes, restaurant menus or anything for that matter.
 | | Chris Baird at the Saints Study Centre |
Chris Baird is Southampton's RaW Champion. The defender regularly reads to his two-year-old daughter and knows how important reading and writing can be: "It's essential in life - whether you're shopping or reading the matchday programme." At the Southampton v QPR match at on Saturday, the RaW team from the BBC and Southampton Library Service promoted an easy to enter writing competition outside the stadium. It was about passion, not grammar and spelling so you didn't have to be good at writing to enter! Here are some of the entries: My best moment at a Saints match was... "….when Peter Osgood wacked the ball into the crowd and it hit my brother in the face. Priceless!" (Peter L) "….when Rudi Skacel bent over in front of me when going to take a corner". (Vicky B) "…when I caught the ball at the Dell against Wimbledon about ten years ago because I was only little, then I threw it back to the players". (Simon F) "…when Matt Le Tissier scored the winning goal against Arsenal at the final premiereship game at the Dell and being able to share the joy with my mum and great aunt (both great Saints fans) on the mobile. Sadly they both passed away December 2005 but their spirit of the love of Saints lives on in my daughter and myself". (Ruth C) "…when we played Ipswich at the Dell around 1987. All my friends left five minutes before the end with the score at 2-2. I stayed and Saints won 4-3. The train home was delayed so I was able to gloat about the winning goal". (John F) Improving reading and writing Later this season there will be writing workshops based around football storytelling in the Saints Study Support Centre.
 | | Lawrie McMenemy at the Study Centre |
Lawrie McMenemy has given his backing to the campaign: "There's no shame in not being able to read or write as well as other people. This should accelerate people's learning and improve their lives." | 
