Shared Reading in Wirral Libraries: ‘As a kid people read stories to you but as an adult you lose that – and it’s a fantastic thing to do!’ 

Two Strategic Librarians for Wirral Libraries, Kathleen McKean and Diane Mitchell have been working in partnership with the UK’s largest Shared Reading charity The Reader for 21 years. Looking back, they share fond recollections of the early days and launch of the very first Shared Reading groups. 

The UK’s largest Shared Reading charity launched its very first funded groups in Wirral Libraries more than 20 years ago.  

Groups offer a welcoming, inclusive, and non-judgmental space where people connect and share experiences using stories and poems. There is no pressure to talk or read aloud. 

Liverpool-based The Reader started working on a five-week Get Into Reading pilot project in 2002, initiated by the charity’s founder and now retired director, Dr Jane Davis. It was a Shared Reading group for young single mums at St James’ Library in Birkenhead.  

Jane felt passionately that getting people to come together to read great literature, to talk, laugh and share was ‘a simple way to create healthy communities’, reduce social isolation and improve wellbeing. 

This led to the first major project to develop Shared Reading across 11 of Wirral’s libraries with funding from the Paul Hamlyn Libraries Connected fund in 2004. Two of the library staff who became involved with The Reader, as a part of this, were Kathleen McKean and Diane Mitchell. 

Kathleen, Strategic Librarian for Wallasey, who has worked for Wirral Libraries for more than 30 years, trained as a Reader Leader and ran one of the UK’s earliest Shared Reading groups, said: “I got to know Jane and one of the other founder members, Kate McDonnell, from The Reader as we started a Shared Reading group at Ridgeway Community Library in Noctorum together.  

“In the beginning we had just a couple of people, but it grew to as many as 10 with a core number of six or seven who came every week – all women. It was a lovely group, and they all became really close. They used to go to each other's houses when they could no longer meet at Ridgeway. 

“As a kid people read stories to you but as an adult you lose that – and it’s a fantastic thing to do! At Shared Reading groups there’s no pressure to talk or read aloud. Jane (Davis) was like a whirlwind – so passionate about getting literature out to people. She was always so enthusiastic and liked what we did. 

“My fondest memory was the impact it had on a lady in my group called Pat. She’d had a stroke and didn’t really go out as she didn’t have the confidence. She said our Shared Reading group had changed her life; you could see how it improved her confidence. It made a great difference to the quality of her life - and she was so grateful. I’m sure there are lots more people for whom Shared Reading has been equally valuable.” 

The Reader, located in the Grade II listed Mansion House at Calderstones Park, Allerton, runs 500 Shared Reading groups across Liverpool City Region and the rest of the UK, including 112 in libraries. There are several active groups in Wirral Libraries across the peninsular including Birkenhead Central Library, Wallasey, Moreton and West Kirby.  

Diane Mitchell, who is Wirral Libraries’ Strategic Librarian for the Birkenhead Area and BookTrust Co-ordinator, said: “For me what is particularly special about Shared Reading is the support and sense of community. You don’t have to read aloud at all, just listen. It’s time to switch off. A non-judgmental space.   

“In the early days we’d organise Reader Days for all our groups with poetry workshops, author talks and readings. These would take place every six months at various Wirral library sites. It was very inspiring.” 

Both librarians have fond memories of Liverpool-based children’s author, scriptwriter and Reader patron Frank Cottrell-Boyce – now Children’s Laureate - being actively involved in the very first Reader’s Days. 

Kathleen said: “Frank (Cottrell-Boyce) used to do a lot of readings and came to many of our Shared Reading events. Shared Reading really did take off – and that had to do with just how passionate Jane and Kate were.  

“We even had a member of library staff seconded to The Reader, who completed the Bibliotherapy MA at the University of Liverpool, established by Jane’s husband Phil Davis (Professor of Literature and Psychology, as well as Director of the Centre for Research into Reading, Literature and Society (CRILS). 

“At one point we had around 20 groups, but Covid hit the library service hard and some groups closed. I was involved with the Shared Reading group for around nine years until 2011 when I moved to Wallasey Library. It was very sad when I heard that one of the original group members had died. A colleague and I went to her funeral to support her sister, who was still a member. 

“It was such a pleasure to be a facilitator and see how Shared Reading can have such a wonderful effect. I just enjoyed seeing the interactions in the group, their respect and support for each other.” 

The Reader’s founder, Jane Davis MBE, left school at 16 with two GCSEs. She eventually returned to education as a young, single mother and got a first-class degree, then a PhD, from the School of English at the University of Liverpool. Jane spent 15 years working as an English teacher at the university and it was in her Continuing Education classes that she started to develop the model we now call Shared Reading. 

She said: “Our partnership with Wirral was so successful that we established Shared Reading groups in 13 local libraries, with many library staff and volunteers undertaking Read to Lead training.  

“It was wonderful to meet enthusiastic readers who were working in libraries and wanted to open the doors to so many people who might otherwise have thought reading was not for them. For example, when people living in a hostel for homeless people told Reader staff they didn’t think they could use the library, staff at Birkenhead Central organised a regular bookbox so that the ‘library’ could come to them.  

“One of the many very happy moments in my life at The Reader was when a woman in an addiction rehab Shared Reading group came in brandishing a library card and saying, ‘I’ve joined the library, and I’ve signed my kids up to it as well!’” 

Find a Shared Reading group near you here.

To find out more about Shared Reading and other community events in Wirral Libraries visit here.

Anyone interesting in partnering with The Reader can find out more here.

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