The first is a ‘reading aloud to children’ experience which I devised and ran a couple of years back at Tyntesfield the local National Trust property.  I sourced a suitable book from the Victorian Library at the property and presented it to visiting children.  Tyntesfield has first editions across many genres and I selected ‘How the Camel got His Humph’ from Dicken’s Just So Stories’.  Dressed up as a Victorian children’s tutor, I read the story to the children and, if you know the story’, they all joined in with the ‘humph’ sounds that repeat throughout the story.  We had such positive feedback from the children (and parents and grandparents) that we hope to repeat the project next year.

My other project is running an Age UK reading group.  It started very slowly as only three people turned up for the first session at Bath Library!  We advertised in a local on-line magazine in Bath and we were lucky enough to grow very quickly to a nice size of 10 with maybe eight or so attending the monthly sessions.  It may sound a bit dull, but the members are a lively bunch and once fortified with coffee and biscuits debate all aspects of the book choices and how the stories relate to today or their lives; they are a well-read and well-travelled bunch!  Age Uk and the library are crying out for more volunteers to start new groups – I have a long waiting list for mine!  Next book: For Whom the Bell Tolls.