Reading Friends

By Marion Verweij

Hilary Cox has worked for 40 years in public libraries. Most of that time has been on the frontline, but the last few years have been behind the scenes working to reach people who either physically can’t get to a library or don’t think of using the library because they feel reading is not for them.

“I love helping people,” Hilary explains. “Children learning to read, students studying, people looking for a good book to read. It’s a love of people rather than books – although the latter does help.”

In 2017, a national libraries charity in the UK started a project called Reading Friends for people who have dementia. Couples met in their local library where time was created for small reading moments and chatting with a friend, bringing their love of reading back to life.

Befrienders reach out.

authorities in the pilot, there are 175 and so many more people are being reached.”

Pairing befrienders with the participants takes time. All befrienders are checked for safeguarding, then using the completed matching questionnaires, Hilary pairs participant and befriender. Sometimes the chemistry doesn’t work, but volunteers are happy to try again with someone else. Occasionally a participant doesn’t really want to talk about reading. They are usually lonely and simply want someone to have a chat with, so Hilary refers them to another agency better suited to their needs.

One elderly participant’s family didn’t live near her and she didn’t see any of them for more than a year. She loved the weekly reading chats because it gave her something to think about and she looked forward to sharing with her family.

Then COVID arrived and new ways needed to be found for people to meet and chat. Hilary applied for a small pilot project, designed for anyone who felt isolated, vulnerable, or lonely. The project is to pair a participant with a volunteer, or befriender, by phone or virtually to chat about bite-size reading, a short story, a poem, or blog. Somebody cares.

“It is lovely to know that somebody cares,” she said.

In December 2020, Hilary got the green light. Then, in January of 2022, the project was given a huge cash injection from the British government to help alleviate the growing mental health problems aggravated during the pandemic.

Reaching more people.

Now that lock-down is being lifted, there are other projects Hilary is busy with to develop Reading Friends. One is to set up small book chat groups in the libraries, another is to assist adults who lack the confidence to read.

“This was a unique situation,” explained Hilary. “Recognizing the power of how reading helps health and wellbeing. Now, instead of only six local “The idea of being at home on my own with no mental stimulus fills me with horror,” explains Hilary. “If I can alleviate that for someone, even for a few hours a month, I’m doing something useful. The power of reading and how it can fulfill a person is amazing.”

, Marion Verweij is a writer, poet, researcher, speaker, and workshop facilitator on bUneke M A G A Z I N E .org 20themes related to change. She is Director of an NGO working for human rights in Africa and National Chair of the Security & Defence wing of the G100.