An event took place yesterday on International Volunteer Day at West Swindon library to mark the beginning of a new venture for local volunteers who have been recently trained and placed in local primary schools to help children that have fallen behind with their reading. The initiative is run by national literacy charity Beanstalk which recruits, trains and supports volunteer reading helpers to deliver one-to-one support to children that need extra help.
The event brought together Beanstalk staff and the newly-trained volunteers as well as special guest, Rebecca Wolf, Parliamentary Assistant to Robert Buckland QC MP (South Swindon), who represented Mr Buckland and has been extremely supportive of the programme since it launched. Mrs Wolf was keen to talk to the volunteers and hear of their experiences so far in an effort to help promote the need for more people to volunteer as reading helpers in Swindon and help improve reading enjoyment and attainment.
Robert Buckland, QC MP (South Swindon), said: “Improving education and ensuring young people get the best start in life is one of my priorities, so I am delighted to be supporting Beanstalk on International Volunteer Day as they recruit volunteers to read with children in Primary schools across the town.
“Teaching a child to read and inspiring a love of books is one of the best ways to prepare them for a lifetime of learning and it will bring huge benefits at school. I would like to thank all of the volunteers who have signed up so far and encourage anyone else who is interested in volunteering to contact the charity.”
Amelia Shaw, Area Manager for Beanstalk, said: “We are delighted to have our very first reading helpers here together on International Volunteer Day at West Swindon library and it is so great to see so many volunteers eager to start helping supporting local schools and making a real difference to children that have fallen behind with their reading. We are particularly grateful for the support of Robert Buckland and it is very promising to hear that reading is a priority for his work in the area. Together we can make real progress but we do need more people to come forward and become reading helpers so we can help more children in Swindon.”
“We are also extremely grateful to West Swindon library for providing the venue for the event and for presenting our reading helpers with a special library card which will enable them to take out 24 books at a time which will really help enhance the reading resources they receive from Beanstalk.”
Beanstalk reading helpers spend 30 minutes with each of three children, twice a week, at a local primary school, helping them develop their confidence and reading skills. Beanstalk volunteers change lives – without them, thousands of children would still be struggling to read, and facing all the problems associated with low literacy levels.
To find out about volunteering as a reading helper in Swindon, or for any schools interested finding out how to become a Beanstalk partner school, please visit the website at www.beanstalkcharity.org.uk or call Beanstalk on 0845 450 0307.
