Volunteers Week 2015

"I love sharing wonderful literature and bringing stories to life in the company of groups of people who become friends." - volunteer, London

"I really enjoy being involved with my group. I feel it’s made me more open to other people’s views." - volunteer, North Wales

This week (1st-7th June) is Volunteers Week, celebrating the contribution made by millions of volunteers across the UK. Volunteering plays a crucial part of the work we do at The Reader Organisation and week-by-week, more volunteers are coming on board with us to help us share reading, connect people with great literature and take on new and exciting roles as we redevelop Calderstones Mansion House to become the International Centre for Reading.

From Liverpool to Leicestershire, all the way down to London, our volunteers have joined us from a variety of different places: through websites, social media and events that we have spoken at, word-of-mouth from friends and family and a love for literature that they wanted to put to good use. Some have even started their volunteering journey with us after attendance at a local shared reading group, and are now giving the experience of shared reading to others. Whether they've been with us for weeks or years, all of our volunteers are integral and highly valued - we simply couldn't do what we do every day without their hard work and unfailing enthusiasm. Everything they do really makes a huge difference to some of the people who need the power and pleasure of literature they most.

Over the coming week we'll be highlighting a selection of our volunteers from projects all across the UK here on The Reader Online, giving an insight into what it's like to volunteer with us as well as celebrating their many achievements.

In the meantime, if you're interested in knowing more about the volunteering opportunities on offer, you can visit our website: https://www.thereader.org.uk/working-with-us/volunteering