Summer was clearly in the air this weekend, the weather was glorious and London was basked in sunshine. This was a big relief as I spent Sunday swimming in freezing cold water in preparation for a lake swim I am doing on behalf of the Anthony Nolan Charity, who carry out absolutely amazing work in helping to save the lives of people with blood cancer. 

I had my first session as a Beanstalk reading helper this month. I have to admit, I was quite nervous as I walked into the classroom on my first day - all I could see was a sea of faces and one very busy teacher! The classroom teacher introduced me to the three children I would be supporting – I think they were just as nervous as I was – and one-by-one they came for their 30 minutes of reading, playing and talking. Hearing about their favorite animals, which stories they enjoy, and exploring their Beanstalk book box has been the highlight of the year for me, and underlined in my eyes the impact one-to-one support can have on a child’s confidence. I can't wait till my next session! 

Since my last blog, I’ve also been busy meeting and talking to people about all the ways they can help us deliver our one-to-one support. These include the Beanstalk Ball, which is our biggest fundraising event of the year, and our trek through the unexplored Helambu region of Nepal to help support a school devastated by the earthquake.

Beanstalk is also deep into our Vision 2020, which is our plan for the next 5 years! I’d like to thank NFP Synergy for providing us with some great research on what’s happening in the external landscape as we plan for our role in making sure no child leaves primary school unable to read with confidence – more will be revealed soon!

Thank you for reading, 

Ginny