In the Spotlight - Reading Force

We recently had the distinct privilege of having the brilliant organisation, Reading Force, share some of our Stories from the First World War book with service children - they were a huge hit! We even held a poetry workshop with some of the book recipients! We asked Reading Force’s Founder, Alison Baverstock, to share a bit about their work with service children around the UK!

‘The best thing about reading a book together is that it helped bring our family together and we all laughed and smiled.’ Jo, Forces mum

Reading Force was set up to help military families keep in touch – as an Army wife I had found it really helped our family feel connected if we shared what we were reading. We offer special reading scrapbooks which a family can share while they talk about a book. Children can include pictures and drawings and families can stick in photographs of what they read together. The scrapbook helps you keep a record of something you did together – families who have taken part tell us it makes them feel proud and is a lovely thing to keep. 

Even if you can’t be together, reading books with your family can keep you in touch. You not only share the reading experience – and being read to is relaxing – you also share time with them in between calls. You can be thinking about what each other will notice, and how they will react. 

‘You can talk about what you think will happen next and how the characters will be feeling. You can discuss how the book has changed and what your favourite parts are. It gave me something to look forward to at the end of the day.’ Jack, Forces Dad

There’s also a great feeling that comes from sharing a story you all know, and the way someone you love reads it – even if you’ve heard it lots of times before.

To register, and receive our free materials, please go to www.readingforce.org.uk 

Alison Baverstock, founder and director of Reading Force