Andy Burnham headlines Shared Reading for Healthy Communities

Andy Burnham MP, Shadow Health Secretary, will be discussing ‘The Books that Built Me’ at The Reader Organisation’s fourth annual national conference, Shared Reading for Healthy Communities, taking place at the British Library Conference Centre in London on Thursday 16^th May.

Andy has become a supporter of our work  after visiting one of our Get Into Reading groups in Wigan earlier this year and will be talking to our director Jane Davis at the conference about the difference reading has made to his life:

I have experienced The Reader Organisation’s shared reading groups first-hand and have seen that it’s a brilliant way to bring people together and improve wellbeing in a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere. As an English graduate myself, I know how important literature is for helping us think about the world we live in and how we relate to others.

I am looking forward to talking to delegates at the Shared Reading for Healthy Communities conference about the impact books have had on my own life and how projects like this can help to create stronger, healthier communities.

Shared Reading for Healthy Communities will examine how our pioneering shared reading model addresses the need for social inclusion, meaningful activity and better health in the UK and beyond. The day's packed schedule will look at how shared reading works for people and communities across the areas of across public and mental health, libraries, education, addiction recovery, and dementia care.

Other speakers include Professor Louis Appleby, National Clinical Director for Offender Health and Chair of the National Suicide Prevention Advisory Group, who will be discussing ‘Finding A New Language for Mental Health’.

Following events in Wigan and Liverpool, the day will include an evaluation of our Reading in Secure Environments (RISE) pilot project, funded by Arts Council England. Cutting edge research investigating the effects of shared reading on people suffering with chronic pain, and a report on poetry and brain-imaging will also be central to exploring the exciting and emerging links between literature and good health.

See the full programme for the day below. The final few spaces are available so make sure you don't miss out on what promises to be an inspiring and hugely informative day - book your place now!: http://thereader.org.uk/events-and-publications/conference/

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