National Stationery Week #WritingMatters

If there's one thing I will forever get excited about (maybe a little too excited - I won't deny it) it's stationery. I suppose I've never really grown out of that buzz you get when you're going back to school and get to pick your new pencil case, bounding round WH Smiths on a proper mission, so even at the age of 22, a shiny new pen or some swanky highlighters still get the heart racing.

With this in mind, imagine my delight when I received an email about National Stationery Week - yes, an entire week dedicated to the joy of pens, pencils and everything in between. The #WritingMatters campaign champions the importance of handwriting and aims to encourage people, especially children, to continue using pen and paper alongside the rise of technology - something I can completely get on board with.

To celebrate National Stationery Week, which runs from the 24th April – 30th April 2017, I was ever so kindly gifted these incredible bits and pieces from a variety of sponsors, to encourage and inspire me to keep the pen and paper alive. I'm so excited to use everything, especially as I've just got a new job which I start in a couple of weeks. This week I will also be getting involved in Seven Days of Stationery - with a new theme each day it's a great reminder either for yourself to get a bit creative, or to encourage kids to get crafty.

Today is #PenAndPencilDay, the rest of the week is as follows -

Tuesday #GetCrafty
Wednesday #WorldStationeryDay
Thursday #ThankYouThursday
Friday #FountainPenFriday
Saturday #SignatureSaturday
Sunday #WriteALetterDay

A couple of highlights for me from the products in my fabulous stationery selection include the strawberry scented (eeeek!) coloured pencils from Froot above, and these utterly adorable 'dog in a book' page markers.. honestly, have you seen anything cuter?!

As much as National Stationery Week is SO much fun, I also really believe in the cause and I think it's so important to spread the #WritingMatters message. In a time where young people are immersed in technology 24/7, we have to make sure that pen and paper doesn't become a thing of the past completely.

According to YouGov research, 94% of adults think that writing by hand is important and 97% think it is important for children to be taught to write. On top of that, 86% of business managers expect candidates for jobs to be able to write by hand, so it's really important that these skills don't get lost.

Are you celebrating National Stationery Week and getting involved in the #WritingMatters campaign? What are your thoughts on encouraging children to keep using traditional methods alongside other devices? I'd love to hear your opinions!