We are pleased to award a £15,000 grant to Reading Force to help with the charity’s annual running costs.
Reading for pleasure and sharing stories together can be an effective way for families to relieve stress, develop better relationships and cope with the pressures often caused by postings and deployments.
Reading Force is the only organisation helping British Armed Forces families through shared reading and scrapbooking. It provides books and practical shared reading tools such as online journals and book clubs for teenagers, and a wide range of printed materials – including a new individual reading record resource for veterans to keep track of their reading, first launched in N Ireland.
Reading Force is a tri-service project but 50 per cent of its core work is committed to Army families, working closely with the Army Welfare Service.
Rev’d Professor Alison Baverstock, Founder and Director of Reading Force, said:
“We are so proud of our connection to ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, which really understands what we are doing. Reading together sounds such a simple activity but it really can connect Forces families through times of uncertainty and stress. We would encourage any Forces families (we include serving, reservists, veterans, and wider family – including those separated by relationship breakdown) to get in touch via our website.”
Brigadier (Ret’d) Peter Monteith, Chief of Staff at ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, added:
“Reading Force provides a unique service to Army families coping with the ups and downs of service life and postings. Sharing books and reading activities is a wonderful way to bring families together. We are delighted to provide support for the running costs again this year.”
To find out more about how Reading Force brings Forces children and families closer together using books, visit their website here.