Directory of Community Reading Workers
Contact our Community Reading Workers directly to make a referral or self refer.
Gateshead Council
Karen Leggott
Libraries and Heritage Engagement Officer
- karenleggott@gateshead.gov.uk
- Gateshead
Newcastle Council
Charlotte Isherwood, Helen Parker & Chris Wilcock
North Tyneside Council
Sue Goodman
- Contact: susanne.goodman@northtyneside.gov.uk
- North Tyneside
South Tees Public Health
Middlesbrough, Redcar & Cleveland council areas
Linda Johnstone
Community Reading Coach
- Linda_Johnstone@middlesbrough.gov.uk
- Redcar & Cleveland & Middlesborough
Can’t find your area?
If your area does not feature, search for your local library service and contact them to access free books and find out what services and groups they provide.
You can also try The Reader who support a number of Shared Reading Groups throughout the UK and online. Shared Reading groups bring people together in small groups to read aloud a book, short story or poem.
Research has shown that fiction enhances our ability to empathize with others; to put ourselves into another’s shoes; to become more intuitive about other people’s feelings (as well as our own); and to self-reflect on our problems as we read about and empathize with a fictional character who is facing similar problems.
Reading can benefit individuals of any age by increasing self-awareness, improving self-esteem, and aiding in the ability to face developmental crises. Studies show reading as a form of therapy to be useful in the treatment of depression, mild alcohol abuse, anxiety, eating disorders, and communication issues.