The Read for Good bookcase has been on the Children’s Ward for four years and is enjoyed and appreciated by young people, parents, medical staff and definitely the teachers. As we wheel it around the ward, families’ eyes light up as they spot the range of books. Parents spot books they loved as children and recommend them to their own children.

The the staff get excited when a new delivery arrives. The variety of authors and genres of books provided is brilliant and compliments our topics e.g. Roald Dahl books were the focus of Book Week and his 100th Anniversary . Other books have helped us to cover a certain theme e.g. worrying using “Silly Billy” by Anthony Browne, another favourite author of ours. Patients get excited choosing a book. When a child comments “that they don’t enjoy reading” and we reply that they are the very people we are focussed on, hoping to inspire them with a love of literature. Invariably, they do choose a book, and it is rewarding to see them engrossed in it.

Our storyteller, Michael Loader, has been a great success and inspiration. He had a profound effect on one child in particular who was a frequent inpatient, and he has intrigued numerous children, creating stories with them.We were also fortunate to be provided with a local author, Tom Percival, who worked with children on the ward on 3 occasions. He motivated the children and captured their interest, particularly the teenagers, sharing the story of his career with them.

We can’t speak too highly of Read for Good’s progamme in Gloucester Royal Hospital and the impact it has on the young people.

Carmel Herrick
GRH School Room Team Manager
Gloucestershire Hospital Education Service
School Room
The Children’s Centre
Gloucestershire Royal Hospital