Liverpool charity The Reader has released the first in a series of short films highlighting the experiences of care-experienced children, carers and volunteers taking part in a life-changing Shared Reading project, as part of its 2025 Christmas appeal.
The UK’s largest Shared Reading charity is looking to raise £10,000 to help recruit, train and support more Reading Heroes volunteers, who give an hour a week to read stories aloud with care-experienced children, aged between two and 15, for up to nine months.
The new film features the words of care-experienced young people who have taken part in the project spoken by actors. One of the children says: “I didn’t like reading before, but Kathryn, my Reading Heroes carer has made it fun now.”
Since it launched a week ago 45% of the appeal target – £4,501 – has already been reached thanks to the incredible generosity of local people, the charity has revealed.
Last weekend (29 and 30 November) The Reader’s 2025 Christmas Appeal received a huge boost following the charity’s Christmas Makers at the Mansion market at the historic Mansion House in Calderstones Park with two events, a Bookflood and Reader’s Knit and Natter group, raising a record total of just over £3,400.
The Bookflood saw The Reader give away hundreds of brand-new books, donated to the charity by publishers – for free – with an optional donation. It was inspired by the Icelandic Christmas tradition of ‘Jólabókaflóð, where people exchange books on Christmas Eve and spend the night reading.
Reading Heroes has been running since 2016 and current partners include Virtual Schools across the North West and London – in Liverpool, Sefton, Bury, Oldham and Tower Hamlets.
Rachel Bourke, Reading Heroes Coordinator at The Reader, said:
“Thank you to everyone who has contributed so far to our Christmas Appeal – we are now 45% of the way there.
“I’ve seen firsthand the difference that Reading Heroes makes – I’ve seen reluctant readers turn into children brimming with enthusiasm and joy for the session each week, the connection they have with our amazing volunteers giving them so much self-confidence and pride. I know because the carers tell us that Reading Heroes has a lifelong positive impact on the children they look after.”
More than 23,000 children and young people were living in care in England in 2024. For many, adverse life experiences result in challenges at school, struggles with mental health, and heightened risk of homelessness and unemployment compared to their non-care-experienced peers.
Reading Heroes addresses these barriers by promoting a love of reading and the development of strong and wholly positive social bonds. The project, which involves weekly sessions across six to nine months, has real and lasting positive effects, with children and carers reporting significant changes including:
- 82% greater confidence
- 79% higher self esteem
- 74% improved wellbeing
- 79% increased enjoyment of reading
- 84% something to look forward to
After their 1:1 reading sessions end, each child is invited to take part in an ongoing programme of activity. This consists of a book posted to their home every two months for the next year so they can develop their own personal libraries.
Reading Heroes includes a Meet the Author events programme for care-experienced children. Over the last 12 months this has included award-winning author A.F. Steadman discussing her No.1 bestseller, Skandar and The Unicorn Thief; comic writer and artist Mark Bradley on his graphic novel series Bumble and Snug, and Fablehouse author E.L. Norry.
Cardiff-born E. L. Norry, who spoke to children about her own experience growing up in the care system, said:
“I am passionate about diversity and inclusion and showing children that authors can come from different backgrounds.”
Donations in aid of the Christmas Reading Heroes Appeal help support the lifelong gift of reading for pleasure:
- £8 buys a book for a young Reading Hero
- £30 supports onboarding costs for a volunteer
- £50 helps us find and recruit volunteers for our Reading Heroes
- £70 trains a volunteer to read with a care experienced child
- £350 recruits, trains and supports one volunteer over a Reading Heroes placement
To find out more about The Reader’s Christmas Appeal 2025 and how to make a difference to the lives of care-experienced children, please visit here.
CASESTUDY:
Rosa* was referred to the Reading Heroes project by Virtual School Liverpool.
The seven-year-old, who lives with her foster carer Jenny in Liverpool, was paired with Reading Heroes volunteer Lauren.
Lauren and Rosa read together weekly in person at Rosa’s foster home for 26 weeks. As well as reading books they played fun word games, made up poetry – and even the occasional rap – drew pictures and read joke books.
Lauren said:
“Rosa was starting to sound out words phonetically when we first met. There was no excitement when it came to books, and she wouldn’t sit still, often doing cartwheels and handstands.”
Through the bespoke book choices over time, Rosa began to show increasing interest, with Bumble and Snug by Mark Bradley becoming a firm favourite. So, when the book’s author, hosted an exclusive online ‘draw-along’ event for Reading Heroes, it further piqued her interest in this graphic novel and its illustrations – and she completed it by herself.
At the end of the project Rosa said:
“I didn’t like books before Reading Heroes – I wouldn’t pick one up, but now, I like books. I wish Reading Heroes could go on forever.”
Lauren said:
“She is such a different child than the one I started reading with. She sits for longer. There are still cartwheels but not as many – she isn’t as afraid of books and reading any more. She has learned that stories can be funny. And that she loves funny stories”
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