Reader Stories
Meet our Bookshop Volunteer, Barbara: ‘My volunteer experience has become an added dimension in my life.’
The UK’s largest Shared Reading charity celebrates its amazing team of volunteers this month inspired by Volunteers’ Week 2025, Monday…
Meet Reader Leader Dorothy: ‘The most wonderful thing about being a Reader Leader is the people who I read with’
The UK’s largest Shared Reading charity is celebrating its amazing team of volunteers throughout June inspired by Volunteers’ Week 2025,…
Meet Heritage Volunteer, Roy ‘I’ve always been interested in history and like speaking to visitors who’ve never been here… about the history of the Mansion House, park and ancient Calder Stones’
The UK’s largest Shared Reading charity celebrates its amazing team of volunteers as part of Volunteers’ Week 2025, Monday 2…
Meet Jamaican poet & novelist Christine Roseeta Walker, a volunteer Reader Leader
The UK’s largest Shared Reading charity celebrates its incredible team of volunteers as part of Volunteers’ Week 2025, Monday 2…
Meet Tiny Heroes Volunteer Carole-Ann Montgomery ‘I wanted to be a constant in the lives of young children living in care… just to read and have fun through books with them’
The UK’s largest Shared Reading charity celebrates its amazing team of volunteers as part of Volunteers’ Week 2025, Monday 2…
‘Across the UK there’s been an epidemic of loneliness and poor mental health, which libraries have an important role in combatting’ Shared Reading in Sefton
The Reader’s Shared Reading groups in libraries across Sefton have helped to play an important part in community cohesion and…
Pat: ‘You don’t need to be an academic – it’s about going on your gut feeling about a story or poem’
National charity The Reader runs two popular weekly 90-minute Shared Reading group at one of the UK’s most innovative libraries,…
Sue: ‘I like the fact you’re not judged by anyone, we have a laugh and learn a lot from each other’
National wellbeing charity The Reader is celebrating the first year of a second weekly Shared Reading group at one of the…
‘A magical blend of amazing texts and heartfelt contributions’ Shared Reading in Conwy, North Wales
Library assistant Steve Stratford is one of nine staff at Conwy Libraries in North Wales who have been trained to…
“I am always surprised how much better I feel” Elaine’s Volunteering Story
When Elaine retired from her busy job in the NHS she looked for opportunities to spend more time outdoors. Following…
Annie: ‘Shared Reading is such a useful means to talk and share, especially as we have people coming to our groups who are isolated’
Staff, volunteers and people supported by PSS Wellbeing in Liverpool talk about how peer-led Shared Reading groups – set up…
A patient once said to me: ‘Thank you for reminding me that I can feel’
Sue Colbourn helped establish a Shared Reading partnership between The Reader and Prospect Park, an NHS psychiatric hospital in Berkshire,…
