Community Champions Sites Unveiled to Support Health Through Reading
Four library authorities have been selected as pilot sites for the Reading Well community champions programme, an initiative led by The Reading Agency to promote health and wellbeing through reading. Funded by Arts Council England and delivered in partnership with Libraries Connected, the pilot aims to empower community members to become champions who recommend books from Reading Well booklists, and deliver events, and social and supported reading activity, to support people’s mental health and wellbeing.
Developed locally and informed by local knowledge, expertise and experience, the pilots are focusing on local community health needs and engage people at risk of health inequalities with Reading Well and the wider public library health and wellbeing offer, with findings from the pilot sites informing the future development of Reading Well.
Working with a range of local partners, the selected library authorities are:
- Suffolk County Council – Focusing on dementia and marginalized communities using the Reading Well for dementia booklist.
- Lancashire County Council – Targeting young people including those not in education, employment or training (NEET) in Hyndburn and Rossendale using the Reading Well for teens booklist.
- Newcastle City Council – Engaging community groups experiencing health inequalities across Newcastle, with a focus on ethnically diverse and lower income areas.
- Norfolk County Council – Reaching rural and coastal communities in North Norfolk experiencing poor health outcomes.
The pilots will run for 12 months in each authority, with the goal of developing sustainable models and best practice that can be implemented across library authorities nationally. The Reading Agency is providing core funding, training, and resources and materials to support the pilots.
The Reading Well community champions pilots form part of a wider two-year Reading Well activation programme which builds on the successful DCMS-funded rollout of the Reading Well mental health lists for adults, children and young people during the Covid pandemic. The wider programme will also include work with publishers and the development of health partnerships to support the creation of new reading material which responds to people’s needs, and widening engagement with Reading Well and public libraries for communities experiencing health inequalities.
“We are excited to be working with these ambitious pilot sites to expand the reach of Reading Well and our health and wellbeing booklists. Reading provides a simple but powerful way to boost people’s health and resilience. We hope these pilots will demonstrate the vital role libraries can play through community-based partnerships.”
Karen Napier, CEO, The Reading Agency
“We’re delighted that so many libraries applied to be pilot sites for this new Reading Well initiative. The link between reading and wellbeing is well established, and these pilots will bring the health benefits of books to an even wider audience. Libraries really value The Reading Agency’s Reading Well booklists as they allow library workers to provide highly targeted recommendations to boost mental health and wellbeing and empower communities.”
Isobel Hunter MBE, chief executive of Libraries Connected
Reading Well is funded by Arts Council England and delivered by The Reading Agency.
