So much of Read for Good’s work wouldn’t be possible without the support of our amazing, dedicated team of volunteers. For #VolunteersWeek, our newest volunteer, Sue, shared her thoughts on what brought her to Read for Good, and what a ‘normal’ volunteering shift looks like.

“My reading journey began very early – my mum was a passionate reader and weekly trips to the local library, from the age of three, gave me a love for reading which has been a constant ever since. 

Coming from a background where further education was not the norm, I’m sure that this early access to books and a love of reading helped me through school and on to university.

Book and genre-wise, I’m pretty much all over the place – from the classics through to a nice bit of escapist fiction and anything with a road trip! Love The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles. Bizarrely, in times of high stress, I reach for my well-worn copy of Wind In The Willows. Seems to work!

When I learned about Read for Good, I wanted to be involved. I love the fact that it starts other children off on that same journey of accessing the pleasure of reading and having books as ‘life-long friends’.

I’m still pretty new, but I come into the office once or twice per week and members of the team allocate me a variety of jobs. Not knowing what you are going to be doing is both good and unnerving, but I like to be stretched and enjoy the varied work.

I might be packing boxes of books destined for schools, logging Readathon feedback forms or helping with anything urgent that day. All the while, I’m building up more of a picture of how everything works and seeing how schools and individual children are inspired by what the charity does.

Going forwards, it feels like Read For Good is going from strength to strength, with new team members about to join. That means more momentum, more children reached…. And, of course, more work for us volunteers. All good!”

To keep up to date with changes at Read for Good, keep an eye on our news page, or sign up for our regular supporter newsletter.

If you’re interested in becoming an office volunteer at Read for Good, visit our webpage to find out more about the opportunities on offer, and email reading@readforgood.org to enquire.

Finally, a huge thank you to each and every one of our amazing volunteers past and present for the incredible work they help us achieve.