Meet the Volunteer: Sue

Name: Sue 

Location: Wirral, Merseyside 

Role: Volunteer for Reading Heroes, a project promoting the benefits of reading for pleasure with care experienced children and young people aged between two and 15. Children are paired with a highly trained volunteer to read online one-to-one for six to nine months 

Why did you decide to volunteer with The Reader?  

I wanted to do something to make a difference, something I would enjoy and was completely different to what I had been doing at work, which was being a legal advisor in the Family Court. 

Reading is my favourite pastime. I liked reading to my own children when they were small so thought I would enjoy sharing my love of books with other young children. 

What do you love most about your volunteer role?  

I go weekly to read to two lovely kids who are brother and sister aged coming up to aged six and four. What has been interesting is my re-introduction to picture books and children's books. The books I'm reading now weren't around 30 years ago and I'm loving them! Both of them have their firm favourites. By now we pretty much know all the words to most of the books and it’s lovely when the three of us are reading the text together or doing the voice of Tropical Terry or the bear in I Want My Hat Back. 

Any insights or learnings you’ve gained about people, the world, literature, or yourself through your volunteering? 

I feel I'm so lucky to be sharing in this activity, doing something useful but also something incredibly enjoyable at the same time. Every week I go, not only do I get a lovely reception from the children, but also their carer, who gives me a cuppa and a special cake. This is a lovely way to spend an hour on a Wednesday afternoon, it’s a real highlight of my week. 

If you would like to find out more about our Reading Heroes or Tiny Heroes project visit here. We’re currently expanding this project and looking for more fantastic volunteers to read with children. Volunteers receive full training and ongoing support from The Reader. If you love reading and can spare up to an hour a week, please get in touch here.