Idris Elba launches campaign to raise awareness of UK illiteracy

Idris Elba has launched a campaign to raise awareness of widespread illiteracy in the UK.

The Wire actor, 52, backed a new initiative - run by Project Literacy - because he believes the connection between young people not being able to read and write and falling into a life of crime is too often ignored.

Elba, who just released directorial debut Yardie and is tipped to be the next James Bond, said: “I grew up in Hackney, East London – an area notorious at the time for the social curses of crime and poverty. It also had, and still has, despite significant regeneration since my time living there, some of the lowest literacy levels in the country.

“The link between these things is too frequently and too easily overlooked… Growing up unable to read or write locks you out of employment prospects, civic participation and life chances, leaving you much more vulnerable to a life of crime.

“It’s time to shine a light on that connection. And address it… Illiteracy is a scourge that is trapping people in a cycle of poverty, homelessness and incarceration.”

Today there are five million illiterate adults living in the UK.

In a bid to raise awareness of the issue, new online tool “IlliteraCity”, which brings to life the problems illiterate people face based on official statistics, launched this week.

Click here for more.