Bringing people together and books to life
We’re a national charity that uses the power of literature and reading aloud to transform lives.
From our global Shared Reading movement and social enterprises, through to the events and activities on offer at our Calderstones Park home – our work improves wellbeing, reduces loneliness and helps us find new meaning in our lives.
Read with us-
95%
Shared Reading lifts my mood
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90%
It helps me connect deeply to others
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97%
I feel valued and accepted for who I am
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95%
Hearing other people's thoughts gives me new ways of seeing things
The Home of Shared Reading
The Reader at Calderstones is a community unlike any other, somewhere people can get together, experience literature and try something new.
Drop in at the Mansion House to get a bite to eat at The Reader Café, join a Shared Reading group or explore 5,000 years of storytelling in our dedicated exhibition.
Explore the park, where you’ll find the Storybarn play space and The Reader Ice Cream Parlour.
What’s On
Discover Reader events taking place at Calderstones and beyond.
Visit Calderstones
The Reader is a national charity which brings people together and books to life. Our home in Liverpool's beautiful Calderstones...
The Storybarn
Our imaginative play space for children and families will spark a lifelong love of reading for pleasure.
Something More
“It’s completely accessible to everybody” – Reader Stories from Bradbury Fields
Bradbury Fields is a charity in Liverpool which works with blind and partially sighted people, and The Reader deliver a…
Community based solutions are needed to support the NHS to deal with mental health crisis
Geetha Rabindrakumar, our Director of Partnerships, Communities and Impact reflects on our research on reading habits and mental health and…
“It’s been a huge part of my recovery.” – A Reader Story from Damien John Kelly House
In September 2021, a group of men from Damien John Kelly House – an abstinence-based recovery living centre for adult…
Become a volunteer
Love reading? Love meeting new people? Want to make a difference locally? If so, Shared Reading could be the thing for you. And you could be just the person for us.
