For Belinda, some of the most treasured family moments happen with a book in hand and a grandchild curled up beside her. Through shared stories, imagination and plenty of cuddles, reading has become a special way of bringing generations of her family together.
Belinda and her husband Bill, a Royal Marines veteran who served for 11 years, first heard about Reading Force through their local veterans’ drop-in session. As a veteran family and grandparents to four girls, they quickly recognised how the initiative could help strengthen family connections through books.
“Both Bill and I love reading to the girls,” says Belinda. “It’s so lovely to curl up on the sofa together and a great excuse for a long cuddle.”
Shared-reading has become much more than simply reading words on a page. It is an opportunity to spend time together, create memories and spark imagination. Their youngest granddaughter, Jessica, especially enjoys reading aloud and developed a particular love for Peter Rabbit.
“Jessica fell in love with Peter Rabbit during our years of childminding and remembers his sisters’ names,” Belinda recalls. “We also made up our own adventures with the toys. Woody from Toy Story was always Mr McGregor.”
Books have long been woven into the fabric of family life. When their older granddaughters stayed over, bedtime stories became a cherished ritual.
“When Ellie and Bella were younger and had sleepovers, the girls’ nighttime routine was a bubble bath and then we would sit on their beds while I brushed their long hair and Bill read a book they had chosen from their little box library.”
The benefits of Reading Force are evident across the whole family. Belinda’s daughter-in-law, Hannah, a teaching assistant and mum to Bill and Belinda’s four granddaughters aged 16, 14, 8 and 6, says she has seen the difference the initiative has made.
“As a parent of four daughters, I have seen first-hand the positive impact that Reading Force has had on our family,” says Hannah. “The books they receive are always engaging, age-appropriate and thoughtfully selected.”
She says the scrapbook activities and stickers included with the books are particularly popular with her younger daughters, helping them engage more deeply with the stories. Drawing on her experience as a teaching assistant, Hannah believes Reading Force helps children build literacy skills, imagination, creativity and empathy while fostering a genuine love of reading.
“It is wonderful to see all four of my daughters benefiting from the books, despite their different ages and reading abilities,” she says.
Reading has also helped strengthen family bonds across generations. Belinda and Bill’s son, William, grew up surrounded by books and stories.
“He very quickly learnt the word ‘book book’ and would toddle up to me with a little book in his hand, because he knew I would sit down with him to read and cuddle.”
As William grew older, he and Bill spent many hours sharing the Harry Potter books together, creating memories that have lasted long beyond childhood.
A lifelong reader herself, Belinda fondly remembers reading Enid Blyton books as a child and even finding ways to continue reading after lights out.
“I’d lay on my tummy with my book on my pillow to catch the light from the landing and carry on reading.”
She believes reading gives children the confidence and vocabulary to communicate, express their feelings and engage with the world around them.
Belinda also values the way Reading Force supports veterans and their families long after military service has ended.
“They and their families are being seen as still part of the military family, and this inclusivity means so much,” she says. “Bill always says, ‘I’m not an ex-Royal Marine, I’m retired. I will always be a Royal Marine.’”
Bill joined Royal Marine training at Deal in 1975 at the age of 16 and left the Corps in 1986 as a Lance Corporal. Like many veteran families, the years since service have not been without challenges, and the family has benefited from support through Veterans Outreach Support and their counselling services.
Belinda and Bill married in 1985 after an 18-month courtship. Through every stage of family life, from Peter Rabbit to Harry Potter, books have helped create lasting bonds. For Belinda, that is the true power of reading together: bringing people closer, one story at a time.