Volunteers Sought For New Gunnersbury Based Shared Reading Group

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Charity aims to combat growing problem of loneliness

Volunteers are being sought to get involved in a new reading project aimed at tackling isolation and loneliness in the local area.

According to the the Office for National Statistics 1 in 20 adults in England say they are often or always lonely – equivalent to more than 430,000 Londoners.

National charity The Reader is now looking for new volunteers from across West London to join a free training programme to try and help combat this.

They say Shared Reading – bringing great novels, poems and plays to life through live reading aloud and group discussion – is a powerful group experience that sparks connection, reflection and discovery.

Funded by the Peoples Postcode Lottery, there are now 43 volunteers leading 31 Shared Reading groups across Hammersmith and Fulham, Kensington and Chelsea, and Westminster, and Ealing is the next area due to get on board. The new group will be reading in the former Rothschild banker’s mansion in Gunnersbury Park, which is now a museum.

In The Reader’s latest Feedback Week survey of more than 1,500 Readers across the UK:

· 94% said they look forward their Shared Reading group ‘as an important event in my week’.

· 91% said ‘the reading sessions make me feel better‘.

· 84% said they’ve made new friends in the group.

Volunteers benefit too. Of more than 400 volunteers asked during Feedback Week:

· 94% said it has given them a sense of achievement

· 86% said it had increased their enjoyment of reading

· 84% said it has improved their wellbeing

“As the days get shorter and darker, we know this is a particularly tough time for people across the country,” said Jane Davis, founder and director of The Reader.

“London is a unique and diverse city, but can be a lonely place at times, so we’re inviting people from across the west of the city to experience Shared Reading's unique power to help people make meaningful connections with each other. Then, perhaps, do some training with The Reader to bring this powerful group experience to more people.”

Shared Reading groups are free, usually happen every week and are open for people to drop in. They are already running in places like care homes, sheltered housing and a local café, in partnership with OpenAge.

A spokesperson from People’s Postcode Lottery said: “Our players are delighted to help bring Shared Reading to more people across the capital. London can be a very fast place to live, so we hope people will try a group, and then think about leading one, as Shared Reading gives everyone involved an hour or so each week to just be together away from the hustle and bustle.”

One Reader Leader volunteer in West London said: “Working with the Reader has been one of the most life-affirming experiences I have had.”

“When I first went to the group, I got short term enjoyment from it,” added one Shared Read group member, “but the longer I have attended, I have felt it to be a cumulative pleasure."

Volunteers receive a fully funded, three-day training course and ongoing support from The Reader, including community events and day trips.

The next training is taking place on 30 October, 31 October and 1 November, but people can express an interest for future courses.

To get involved, fill out the online form at www.thereader.org.uk/volunteer or email london@thereader.org.uk for more information about local groups.

October 30, 2019