The Reader is a charity that uses the power of literature and reading aloud to transform lives. 

Our volunteers and staff bring people together to read great stories and poems - creating powerful moments of connection. We call this Shared Reading. In a world that feels increasingly divided, and with increased pressures on our mental health, Shared Reading offers us time and space to share what matters to us. Our work improves wellbeing, reduces loneliness and helps us find new meaning in our lives. We read with schools, families and looked-after-children, adults in community spaces, people in care homes and hospitals, people with physical and mental health conditions, those coping with or recovering from addiction, and people in the criminal justice system.