Latest stories News Coram Beanstalk's 3rd annual reading helper conference Although our schools go back in early September they often prefer our reading helpers to wait a couple of weeks for the children to settle in before starting their one-to-one reading sessions - which is why we choose the first week of September to host our annual reading helper conference. It's a wonderful opportunity for all of our volunteers around the country to either gather together in one of our local hubs or watch at home online. We hand-pick our speakers to inspire, energise and motivate our community of reading helpers for the coming year. And this year, without wishing to brag, we made excellent choices and fulfilled the brief ten-fold! We began the conference by hearing from some of the children we supported last year - children who have become more confident, independent readers, talking about what reading means to them. You can watch them here too! The conference was officially opened by long-standing reading helper and Chair of our Trustees, Jill Pay, who thanked every single volunteer for the sterling work they do to create readers on behalf of Coram Beanstalk. Jill shared some statistics from our latest impact report, including the fact that in 2023/24, nearly 1300 volunteers gave over 50,000 hours of their time to support more than 7000 children. Lindsay Pickton of Primary Education Advisers spoke about 'the astonishing benefits of reading to children' and delighted both the in-person and online audience with Aesop's Fables, Oscar Wilde, the difference between decoding, comprehension and being a reader and even threw in some micro-drama. One attendee told us she would love to listen to a bedtime audiobook read by Lindsay, his story-reading was so engaging! And then Headteacher, Katy Lawrence spoke from her experience of having used Coram Beanstalk reading helpers in her school for many years and about the incredible impact those one-to-one sessions have had on the children selected. The in-person and online conference also provides the opportunity for volunteers to also hear from Amy Lewis, Head of Coram Beanstalk about Coram Beanstalk's reach, ambitions and plans - and for those in our London, Leeds and Liverpool hubs to take the chance to chat to Amy and other members of staff. We always love hearing from our volunteers and we know how much they enjoy getting together and sharing their experiences and ideas. "I was so pleased to have attended and found it very motivational. The speakers were fantastic." "I must say the event was excellent and it was a fine way to get to know a few people." "I have been on courses previously (not Beanstalk-related) and they aren't always thrilling but this was spellbinding!" Our annual volunteer conference at the start of the year is a great way to energise all of our reading community as we embark on a new school year. This year's event was described as 'spellbinding' by one of our online participants, and I think that sums it up perfectly! Amy Lewis Manage Cookie Preferences