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The volunteers' view "It's a two-way thing"

Beanstalk is a charity that helps bring the magic of reading to primary school children. We're looking at how volunteers have been helping make that possible

Anne has been volunteering with Beanstalk since the end of 2017 at a primary school in Northampton

"All my working life I worked with children. I first heard off Beanstalk when I was looking at the community Board in my local Tesco. There was flyer on the board advertising Beanstalk and I thought this was brilliant way of doing something worthwhile and sharing my love of reading books. 

"I had been retired for about six months and, although I was enjoing it, I felt rathr redundant and needed to do something to occupy myself and get out more and meet new people.

"It has been lovely to see the children's confidence increase and their reading improve. Having the same three children twice a week. we build up a good relationship and I get to know their likes and their hobbies and can incorporate this into our sessions to make them enjoyable and fun. Reading doesn't have to be confined to books; I like to play games such as 'I Spy' and 'Silly Sentences'. My knowledge of football teams and playwers has increased from reading football-loving boy and I've learnt about planets and space from a child who is into all things space related. It is a two-way think: the children and school benefit from you giving them your time and you benefit from feeling you have done something worthwhile."