Meet Reading Heroes Volunteer, Colin ‘Reading Heroes opened up the world of graphic novels…the kids and I would spend time joyfully hamming up our performances’

The UK’s largest Shared Reading charity is celebrating its amazing team of volunteers throughout June inspired by Volunteers’ Week 2025, Monday 2 June – Sunday 8 June.  

LOCATION:  Liverpool

ROLE:  Reading Heroes volunteer  

WHAT IS READING HEROES? 

It is The Reader’s project to help spark a love of reading for pleasure and improve the confidence of care experienced children and young people aged 2-15. They are paired with a trained volunteer and read stories aloud online one to one for a period of six to nine months.  

WHY DID YOU WANT TO VOLUNTEER WITH THE READER?  

When I was eight, my primary school teacher, Mrs Cook, started reading a chapter from Enid Blyton’s The Castle of Adventure at the end of the day’s teaching. Being read to was a great way to wind down, and it also introduced me to the concept of a book that you didn’t finish in one sitting. I was hooked. Hooked on Enid Blyton, hooked on reading, and in the long run, hooked on books. I realise, looking back, how lucky I was to have a teacher like Mrs Cook, and what a privilege it was to be read to.

WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT YOUR VOLUNTEER ROLE?   

Being a Reading Heroes volunteer introduced me to a new way of looking at reading. It made me think about it from a child’s perspective, and it made me more animated in my reading. Happily, the children that I read with wanted to share the reading. This then opened up the world of graphic novels, and the kids and I would spend the time reading different characters and joyfully hamming up our performances encouraging each other to greater levels of fancy. I often wondered what passer-by's made of the sounds of ‘Boom!’ and ‘Kerrr-pow!’ which emitted from the school library on a Tuesday afternoon. As we became more comfortable with each other, it was a pleasure to observe the children growing in confidence and realising that reading is allowed to be fun. 

If you would like to find out more about The Reader and the volunteering opportunities, we offer please visit here. For more information about our Reading Heroes project visit here. Volunteers receive full training and ongoing support from The Reader. 

As a charity we rely on the generous support of individuals and organisations to help us change lives through Shared Reading. A donation allows us to train volunteers, provide resources for groups and help reach more people. We want to make sure everyone can attend a Shared Reading group, no matter their background, income or situation, and we'll be so grateful for your help. Make a donation