Storm Doris – She huffed, she puffed, she blew our house down

Following yesterday's storm damage, The Reader have released the following statement regarding Bear Hunt, Chocolate Cake & Bad Things.

Yesterday was one of the hardest days we’ve ever had at The Reader. As you will have seen on the news, Storm Doris caused significant damage across the Liverpool City Region; at one point the Liverpool Echo reported winds of 100mph at the Port of Liverpool. We are devastated to have to confirm that Michael Rosen’s Bear Hunt, Chocolate Cake & Bad Things, our pop up experience on Liverpool ONE’s Thomas Steers Way, was damaged beyond repair.

The Reader is a charity. Our mission is to get great literature into the hands of people who need it. Research from UNESCO shows that “reading for pleasure is the single most important thing that will make a child successful in life”. That’s why, bringing Bear Hunt to the heart of Liverpool’s community was such an important project for us and our event partners, Discover Children’s Story Centre, Arriva, Liverpool ONE, Radio City and Waterstones.

Jane Davis, The Reader’s founder and director said: “Everyone was so excited by the big white bubble tent. We were so proud of bringing reading to the heart of Liverpool City Centre. Thankfully no-one was present in the exhibition when the damage was sustained. The team is currently in the process of contacting customers with tickets who are affected and we are taking some time to assess the options available to us.

“Thank you to the 4257 parents and children who have come through the doors and all the schools who visited from across the region. The Reader are so proud to have brought this wonderful thing to thousands of children from across the region, but utterly devastated that thousands more are going to be disappointed. Thank you for all the messages of support. We encourage families to please do your own bear hunt at home or come and see us at The Storybarn. And for those individuals and businesses who want to donate or help, thank you.

“Through The Reader’s Shared Reading groups, we know that connecting to literature and to each other, helps us cope with difficult life experiences like this. As George Herbert puts it in The Flower:

“Grief melts away Like snow in May. As if there were no such cold thing.”

Profits from the event were due to support The Reader’s Shared Reading groups and The Storybarn, our children’s literature centre in Calderstones Park. The financial implications for the charity are significant - The Reader has already spent £55,000 to set up the event, as well as staff costs, and now faces the financial hit of the loss of ticket sales.

If you would like to help:

1) Make a donation to The Reader. Every penny counts, particularly at a time like this. Find out more on our website.

2) Bring your family to The Storybarn. The spirit of Bear Hunt, Chocolate Cake & Bad Things continues in our children’s literature centre in the heart of Liverpool’s Calderstones Park. Find out more at www.thestorybarn.org.uk

3) If your business or organisation is inspired by our work and can help, please get in touch. Email info@thereader.org.uk

If you have booked tickets please bear with us, we will be in touch with each customer individually, as soon as possible. If you have any specific queries please email storybarn@thereader.org.uk and a member of the team will get back to you as soon as possible.