29 January 2020

We were delighted to host our most recent volunteer conference in the beautiful city of Bath, bringing together reading helpers from across the South West of England.

The conference was a chance for volunteers to meet fellow reading helpers, share best practice and to hear the latest news from Coram Beanstalk.

Managing Director Ginny Lunn introduced the day by updating reading helpers on the latest news from Coram Beanstalk, in particular to update about some new funding which will see the delivery of reading support to children in Bath for the first time.

This was followed by an inspiring expert panel discussion between former reading and children’s librarian helper Sally Hamerton, children’s author Andy Seed and children’s author and founder of My Book Corner, Emma Perry. The panel discussed 'What makes a book brilliant?'.

One of the books recommended by Emma was ‘Princess BMX’ by Marie Basting which she described as a great text for inspiring readers. This discussion was chaired by Coram Beanstalk's Chair of Trustees Jill Pay who encouraged questions and book suggestions from attendees.

Thank you to everyone who came along. We will be continuing to organise regional conferences across the country in different locations so that all our reading helpers can attend and benefit from these excellent networking and best practice sharing opportunities.

Find out about becoming a reading helper with Coram Beanstalk