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| Dolly brings scheme to Yorkshire | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Country and Western star Dolly Parton chose Rotherham in South Yorkshire as the unlikely destination to launch her pre-school literacy scheme in the UK. | |
| Ms Parton unveiled her Imagination Library project at a former steel mill, the Magna Science Adventure Centre, in Rotherham on Wednesday. | |
| Every pre-school age child in Rotherham will be sent a free book every month. | Every pre-school age child in Rotherham will be sent a free book every month. |
| The multi-millionairess met parents and children during her visit to the centre to launch the scheme. | |
| Wearing a grey suit, the singer shouted "well hello, everybody" to a crowd of dignitaries, public and media outside the centre as she got out of her car, flanked by security guards. | |
| She said she had been persuaded to launch the scheme in Rotherham by the leader of the council, Roger Stone, who visited Tennessee with the town's chamber of commerce and an international business group for women. | |
| The singer greeted a crowd as she arrived at the former steel works | |
| She said: "I didn't know much about Rotherham other than what we heard when we started talking to Roger Stone, the leader [of the council] here in Rotherham. | |
| "He had been over to the States and found out about our programme and asked if we would bring it here to the children. | |
| "He thought it was a wonderful idea, so two years later we are here, and we are very excited about it." | |
| She said her desire to promote childhood reading stemmed from seeing how illiteracy had disadvantaged her family. | |
| The singer revealed how her rural Tennessee background had formed her view of how reading and writing were crucial for success in life. | The singer revealed how her rural Tennessee background had formed her view of how reading and writing were crucial for success in life. |
| "My own father and mother got married when they were very young. | "My own father and mother got married when they were very young. |
| "My father was from a very large family and never had an opportunity to actually go to school. | "My father was from a very large family and never had an opportunity to actually go to school. |
| "My father couldn't read or write as [couldn't] many of my relatives and I saw how crippling that can be. | "My father couldn't read or write as [couldn't] many of my relatives and I saw how crippling that can be. |
| I remember sitting at my mother's feet listening to all the stories she would read Dolly Parton | I remember sitting at my mother's feet listening to all the stories she would read Dolly Parton |
| "When I got into a position to be able to do some charity work, some things, well the education seemed to keep just jumping out at me, and the children - how important it is to learn things when you're young." | "When I got into a position to be able to do some charity work, some things, well the education seemed to keep just jumping out at me, and the children - how important it is to learn things when you're young." |
| The global singing star started the programme in her home town about 10 years ago and it has since spread across 43 states in the US. | |
| Despite her global success and multi-million record sales Ms Parton said she had one abiding memory of her time in a mountain shack her family called home. | Despite her global success and multi-million record sales Ms Parton said she had one abiding memory of her time in a mountain shack her family called home. |
| "I remember sitting at my mother's feet listening to all the stories she would read." | "I remember sitting at my mother's feet listening to all the stories she would read." |