HRH Duchess of Cornwall joins the Reading Revolution

Jennifer McDerra, South West Development Manager, Ciara Eastell, Head of Libraries, Culture and Heritage at Devon County Council, HRH The Duchess of Cornwall and Rose, Ivor and Rosemary enjoy the shared reading session. Photo credit: jenny steer at jennysteer.co.uk

One of The Reader Organisation's regular shared reading groups in South West England got the royal seal of approval this week as a very special guest joined in for a session...

Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cornwall visited the group, which is specifically for people living with dementia, at the reopening of Exeter Library. Alongside group members, the Duchess enjoyed some pieces of great literature as they were read aloud, proving to be a wonderful addition to the Royal tour of the South West.

The Reader Organisation has been working in libraries across the region as part of our work sharing literature with older people. Specifically we run a number of weekly shared reading groups especially for those living with dementia and other memory loss conditions which are aimed at stimulating memories, providing engagement and giving a space for older people to connect with literature they have loved from years past as well as discovering new material in a relaxed and informal atmosphere. There is a growing body of evidence regarding the positive effects of shared reading groups nationwide to the health and wellbeing of those living with dementia which indicates that not only do groups allow members to share thoughts, feelings and memories as they read but also aid in reducing social isolation through their communal setting. More information, including a download of the Centre for Research into Reading, Information and Linguistic Systems at the University of Liverpool (CRILS) research report on shared reading as an Intervention for Older People living with Dementia, can be found on our website: http://www.thereader.org.uk/what-we-do-and-why/older-people-dementia

The Duchess is known for being a literature lover and continues to work to promote the benefits of reading, especially amongst children and young people, and enjoyed reading throughout the day with the official reopening of Exeter Library which includes thousands of new books upon the shelves. As well as listening to the extracts as they were shared her Royal Highness also spoke to Jennifer McDerra, The Reader Organisation's South West Development Manager, about our work in the area and across the country.

Our first Royal member of the Reading Revolution - perhaps Her Majesty will also be taking part in a spot of shared reading before very long...?

The Reader Organisation currently runs shared reading projects across South West England, in Devon, Cornwall, Plymouth, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire. For more information see our website http://www.thereader.org.uk/where-we-work/south-west and to keep up with the latest from our South West team, make sure you follow them on Twitter: @TheReaderSW