News

  Books are an important part of family life for RAF mum and writer, Susie Buchanan. Susie says books have helped the family through some tough times, so when she heard about Reading Force she signed up for scrapbooks and books for her daughter and son. This is Susie’s blog about her family’s experience of doing Reading Force… By Susie Buchanan I came across a feature about Reading Force in Just For Families magazine and thought it was such a lovely idea to bring families closer together through the pleasure of reading. Whether you're all at home or apart, having something we [...]

Hello Reading Force families!  I'm Emma, I'm a Pad Brat and I write blogs for Reading Force about reading and Forces life. Last month I spontaneously decided to visit my old quarter in Wiltshire. The first thing to note is something exclusive to Forces children - our houses are secret! Yes, try searching your house on google maps, often they can't be found. Take a look at this picture of my old house: It was a quiet Saturday morning when I arrived, and I entered the area with trepidation. The houses were not on barracks but I was still slightly concerned [...]

Hello, I’m Annabel Hall, a Service Pupils' Champion in North Yorkshire.  The autumn term got off to a great start with the visit of award winning illustrator, Lynne Chapman, and Reading Force staff to two of our schools in North Yorkshire, Alanbrooke Community Primary School and Dishforth Airfield Primary School. Lynne kept the children riveted by her energetic and entertaining book readings and conducted drawing workshops to teach the children (and staff!) some basic skills in illustrating emotions - who would have thought that a few carefully positioned lines have such an impact in conveying the feeling of the characters! Lynne’s [...]

  We are very pleased to announce that Annington, the owners of the MOD's Married Quarters Estate, is supporting Reading Force for the next three years. James Hopkins, CEO of Annington, says: “We were impressed by the support Reading Force is giving those Service families dealing with the challenges of separation and by the simple premise that talking about a book helps parents and children remain connected.” The funding is being used to support a Reading Force Ambassador in Scotland, who will visit schools attended by Service children, and tri-service Welfare offices and settings across Scotland including Glasgow, Edinburgh, Inverness, Lossiemouth [...]

  Need some inspiration for books to share during your summer holidays? Read on to discover more…       Ages 4 to 7   What the Ladybird Heard on Holiday by Julia Donaldson  A brilliant new adventure for the clever ladybird, who with the help of some very noisy zoo animals must interrupt her holiday to stop the Queen’s crown being stolen.   Gracie Grabbit and the Tiger by Helen Stephens  Gracie is going to the zoo with her dad, but there’s a problem – her dad’s a robber! She must stop him spoiling her day, and luckily a friendly tiger is [...]

  Hello Reading Force families!  I'm Emma, I'm a Pad Brat and I will be writing a regular blog about reading and Forces life. I was relatively lucky, I only went to three primary schools, one secondary school and one college. Friends of mine have been to fifteen! As an adult I’ve worked in lots of schools running writing and drama workshops and worked as a school librarian and I’m grateful to the resilience that my Forces life gave me - I’m sure every Forces child knows the experience of moving to a new school and the challenges we face, but [...]

  Hello Reading Force families! I’m Pam, a proud and happy member of the Reading Force team and my role is Schools Ambassador. My role is primarily to visit schools to talk to teachers, pastoral staff and parent groups about Reading Force and the support we can offer to Service families. So far this year I have visited schools in Shropshire, Staffordshire, Wiltshire and Hampshire - where next, I wonder? Visits to schools involve talking to a Headteacher, a Forces Liaison Officer or sometimes a SENCO who has been given school responsibility for work with Service families. I start by giving [...]

We’re delighted to welcome author Amanda Prowse as this month's guest blogger. I grew up in a house without books – apart from The Littlewoods catalogue and a copy of a Haynes car manual! My parents were young and working hard to support their four children and I don’t think they had the time to read at home. The day I was given my first library card was the day my life changed. I was six and remember learning about the Dewey decimal system and being told that I could choose not one, but a whole stack of books to take [...]

Bother, Trouble and an RAF childhood Flying and travel are in my blood – as the daughter of an RAF officer and a Canadian teacher, I visited four of the world’s continents before starting school. My dad was stationed in Aden long, long ago in the 1960s, and my very earliest memories are of this exotic, magical but sadly so troubled place. Slides that were made of wood as metal in that heat would have given your backside a nasty shock! Goats and camels wandering through the streets. The shark nets at the beach. And, best of all, a two week [...]

Hello Reading Force families!  I'm Emma, I'm a Pad Brat and I will be writing a monthly blog about reading and Forces life. School has been back in session for a month now and I’m sure there’s been some good times (friends, lunch time, home time) and some challenging times (teachers, lessons, homework!) so I thought I’d bring you a list of books to get you through it. When I was at school my Year 9 form tutor decided we should all keep a diary – at the same time I was enjoying reading The Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot. [...]