Get Into Reading currently runs eighty weekly read-aloud groups across Merseyside. Aside from the many groups that run in venues such as libraries, community centres and care homes, The Reader Organisation is commissioned to deliver Get Into Reading by public and private sector organisations.

Here are a few of the projects that are currently in operation:

Mersey Care Reads

In September 2007 Mersey Care NHS Trust commissioned us to deliver reading groups across their services (adult mental health, older people, learning disabilities, drugs and alcohol services and high secure services). Since then the readers-in-residence  have set up twenty-five groups working with service users and staff members.  Mersey Care staff, including the Chief Executive and Medical Director, are trained to facilitate the reading groups themselves, ensuring that these groups can continue for years to come.

In February 2009, Lindsey Dyer, Director for Service Users and Carers at Mersey Care NHS Trust, was seconded to work part-time for The Reader Organisation, reflecting a forward thinking partnership between the two organisations. By working closely together it is hoped that we can encourage other health and social care organisations to follow the Mersey Care lead and get everyone reading!

The appointment has the full support of Alan Yates, Chief Executive, Mersey Care NHS Trust:

"I have been very impressed by the Get Into Reading schemes run by The Reader Organisation which Lindsey introduced into Mersey Care. Having seen the benefits to this Trust, I would like to support their development elsewhere."

Congratulations for the two Mersey Care reading groups at Ashworth Hospital that were short listed for the Penguin Orange Readers' Group Prize 2009!

Read about a Mersey Care GIR group

Weatherhead School Reader-in-Residence

The reader-in-residence works in Weatherhead High School (Birkenhead) two and a half days each week delivering a range of reading for pleasure groups with pupils in each academic year. The aim of the project is to raise the profile of reading across the school, and to make books accessible and enjoyable to all ages and abilities.

Small groups of pupils are let out of English lessons to work with the project worker where they read books aloud. As well as this, the project worker runs after-school and lunchtime reading groups that are well attended by keen readers as well as pupils who wouldn't normally read. The pupils are encouraged to see the reading groups as a treat: the books read are separate from the curriculum so nobody has to 'learn' anything specific, however learning does happen naturally from reading and discussing the text.

As well as facilitating reading groups, the project worker is involved in the planning and delivery of reading events in the school, and often takes poems and extracts from books into assemblies in order to reach larger groups of students.