Latest News & Blogs
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Just to let you know we’re still open for business…
The Scott siblings opening Reading Force post I’ve had a familiar feeling in my stomach for the last week or so, as we prepare for the arrival of something we [...]
Military Wives
Have you seen Military Wives yet? Founder and director of Reading Force, Alison Baverstock, gives her thoughts on the film here, what the makers got wrong, and what they got so right… Military Wives [...]
An epic adventure to the Arctic Circle
Alison Allmand-Smith is about to embark on an epic adventure to the Arctic Circle to fundraise for Reading Force – WOW! We’d like to say a very BIG thank you to Alison! In this blog [...]
The Brightstorm twins are back for more adventure on the sky-ship Aurora…
We’re thrilled Vashti Hardy, the author of Brightstorm and Wildspark – both nominated for the Blue Peter Book Award! – has written our latest guest blog to mark a very exciting day… Darkwhispers, the sequel [...]
Booking the chance to say thank you
Running a charity, and ensuring there is enough money to keep going, is much harder than it looks. Charities rely on donations. Company budgets and funds that give charitable grants are increasingly under pressure. [...]
Top tips for military life
Julie Boyle’s husband is leaving the Army this year, having served for 22 years. Here, as our guest blogger, Julie looks back on life as a military wife and mother, reflects and shares her top [...]
Planning for Christmas… with a loved one away
Founder of Reading Force, Alison Baverstock, was an Army wife for 30 years and experienced many Christmases separated from her husband. Here she shares her top tips for managing Christmas with a loved one away [...]
Let’s hear it for the girls…
A lucky Reading Force family recently won a copy of Holly Webb’s exciting new book The Runaways. Holly is the author of 128 books, and we’re thrilled Holly has written our guest blog on her [...]
A Secret Diary of The First World War
Our guest blogger, Gill Arbuthnott, author of A Secret Diary of The First World War, shares what it was like to write about real Scottish soldiers... I always buy a poppy in November, but until a [...]
Thinking of doing Reading Force?
We’re very pleased to welcome guest blogger Daniela Makin, who generously shares her family’s experience of doing Reading Force below…. Our Reading Force... by the Makins Hello! We are the Makins, a book-loving and creative [...]
Many thanks for supporting our Ride London 100 cyclist!
Many thanks for supporting Neil, our Ride London 100 cyclist! He made it with flying colours!! We’d like to thank everyone who supported our Reading Force cyclist in August’s gruelling Prudential Ride London 100 miles! [...]
Reading Force summer reading top picks!
Whether you’re on the beach or at home, you can travel everywhere with a good book! Here are some of our favourite new releases…. Babies and toddlers Swarm Of [...]
Prime Minister’s Points of Light Award for Reading Force founder
We’re thrilled that our founder and Director, Dr Alison Baverstock, has been awarded a Points of Light Award to coincide with Armed Forces Week for her commitment to Forces families. Points of Light are outstanding [...]
Why I set up The Ripple Pond
We love working with other charities supporting Forces families, and The Ripple Pond is a charity we admire and are very happy to work with. Here, founder of The Ripple Pond, Julia Molony, shares her [...]
Home is where the books are
Our guest blogger, children’s author S.P. Moss, shares memories of her RAF childhood and the books that became ‘home’. She is kindly giving two signed copies of her books, The Bother in Burmeon and The [...]
How to ensure teachers understand Forces children
Free seminar at Kingston University – March 22nd 2019 Photo credit: Neil Hanna Photography At Reading Force we support Forces families, and draw wider attention to the special circumstances that are part of [...]
Happy New Year and New Reading
Founder of Reading Force, Alison Baverstock, reflects on her long-lasting Forces friendships, the next generation, and a new year’s resolution… We spent New Year with family friends in France. The original friendship, between us and [...]
Christmas for Forces families… and being miles apart
We send books to Forces families all year round to enjoy sharing, whether a family is together at home or separated by deployment or training. But with Christmas fast approaching, we’re especially thinking about families [...]
‘But what do I do with the scrapbook?’ One family’s crafting journey and top tips for scrapbooking
Julie Boyle found out about Reading Force from a post shared on a military wives Facebook page, when her daughter Chloe was not yet two. “I looked and thought that sounds brilliant.” She ordered a [...]
First person (at home)
First man is out and the Oscar predictions are in, mostly for ‘best picture’ and perhaps ‘best leading actor’ for Ryan Gosling, playing the emotionally closed Neil Armstrong. But a wave of sympathy is currently [...]
Books Involving Unlikely Libraries
Hello Reading Force families! I'm Emma, I'm a Pad Brat and school librarian and I write a regular blog here about reading and Forces life. I love libraries! When I was growing up I couldn’t [...]
Back to school we go…
Alison Baverstock founded Reading Force seven years ago. With the launch of our shiny new website and the new school term, Alison reflects on why she started Reading Force…. It’s back to school time all [...]
My Summer Reads
Hello Reading Force families! I'm Emma, I'm a Pad Brat and school librarian and I write a regular blog here about reading and Forces life. The summer holidays are when I really like to get [...]
‘Never assume resilience in Forces children’
Reading Force founder and Director, Dr Alison Baverstock, has written an insightful blog for TES - the key policy publication for education - about Forces children and how they can be better supported by schools. Written [...]