2015 - 2016

Annual Report
TRUSTEES REPORT AND ACCOUNTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDING 31 MARCH 2016

The Reader Organisation - a company limited by guarantee

Charity Registration Number 1126806 (England and Wales)
Charity Registration Number SCO43054 (Scotland)
Company Registration Number 06607389 (England and Wales)
Trustees Report
The Trustees (who are also the directors of the company for the purposes of company law) present
their report and accounts for the year ended 31 March 2016.
The accounts have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in Note 1 to the
accounts and comply with the charitys governing document, the Companies Act 2006 and the
Statement of Recommended Practice. Accounting and Reporting by Charities, issued in March 2005.

Structure, Governance and Management

Governing Document
The charity, which is a company limited by guarantee, is governed by its Memorandum and Articles of
Association dated 2 June 2008, and subsequently amended on 20 April 2011. All members have agreed
to contribute the sum not exceeding 10 in the event of a winding up.
The trustees, who are also the directors for the purpose of company law, and who served during the
year were:

Kathy Doran (Vice Chair to 15/2/16; Appointed Chair 15/2/16)

Simon Barber
Hugh Biddell (Appointed 19/10/15)
Giles Brand
Philip Davis
Lindsay Dyer (Retired by rotation 19/10/15)
John Flamson
Rosemary Hawley
Lawrence Holden (Resigned 19/10/15)
David Levin (Appointed 19/10/15)
Shyamal Mukherjee
Roger Philips (Retired by rotation 19/10/15)
Susan Rutherford (Chair to 15/2/16; resigned 15/2/16)
Ruth Scott-Williams (Secretary)
Jacqueline Tammenoms Bakker (Appointed 15/4/15)

Organisation
The charity is governed by a board of trustees which must have between three and twelve individuals.
The board meets four times a year.
The trustees have appointed a Chief Executive to manage the day-to-day operations of the charity.

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Objectives and Activities
Objective of the Charity
The charity's objects are to promote any charitable purposes for the benefit of citizens and inhabitants
of the United Kingdom and other countries, in particular the advancement of education, the
furtherance of health, the relief of poverty, distress and sickness, the promotion of social inclusion and
furtherance of community especially through reading and literature based activities

Our Mission
Our mission is to build a reading revolution

Our Vision
We envisage a world in which everyone has access to great literature, and in which a personal
responses to books are freely shared in reading communities in every area of life.

About Us
The Reader brings books to life. We create vital connections between people and literature through
which everyone can feel more alive.
Our unique Shared Reading model reaches across all ages, demographics and settings because it helps
people connect with a better understanding of themselves and others, which enables them to realise
the changes they want to make.
Shared Reading takes place in small groups. A great story or poem is read aloud. We stop and talk
about what we have read. There is no need for group members to read aloud, speak or even stay
awake the idea is to create a place where people feel at home. Groups are open to all ages,
educational backgrounds and abilities, and are free to attend.
We work across what seem to be widely diverse areas of life. How can the same thing help in a mental-
health ward and with two-year-olds in a private day nursery? Or in a high-security prison and a
dementia care home? What connects these places are the people in them and the human experiences
those people share. Reading aloud gives all sorts of people access to literature; literature gives people
access to powerful language, to thoughts and feelings about what it is to be human. By experiencing
these complex meanings with others, people can start to (re)build a better understanding of
themselves and the world.

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Introduction
Jane Davis, Founder and Director
When writing the Annual Report it is always a pleasure for me to look back over the past year and
reflect on the varied and demanding work that The Reader has undertaken. In 2015-16 we certainly
got a lot done but we also formulated our next big challenge: how will our much-needed charity and
social enterprise continue to develop and spread its impact, while we have to contend with continuing
reductions in public sector budgets? How do we do more with less?
The Reader is a young, lively organisation and we live with a lot of change. There is so much to talk
about, from the opening of our magnificent Storybarn, through the Launch of A Little, Aloud with Love
to the completion of a large-scale project with Liverpools private, voluntary and independent sector
nurseries, but there are two things I especially want to point to as of significant importance:
Double Impact
In 2010, The Reader secured a grant from Big Lottery Fund to train and support volunteers in North
Wales to become Reader Leaders and to deliver Shared Reading groups in their own communities.
Five years on, we have really seen this community-led model blossom with a growing number of our
projects now be delivered by passionate, well-trained volunteers. These projects include:

- Guys and St. Thomas Charity: Providing training and support for 175 professionals and
volunteers to deliver Shared Reading sessions across hospital and community locations in South
London to improve mental well-being
- Off The Page, a project with Liverpool City Council Families Team: Training and
support for 75 volunteers to deliver one-to-one reading sessions for hard-to-reach children
- Reading Revolutionaries: Training for 600 individuals to deliver peer-led reading sessions
in secondary and primary schools empowering older children to become reading mentors.

One of the highlights from these projects has been Brendas Reader Story:
Brenda had had a serious breakdown and was admitted to hospital, where she received Electro-Convulsive
Therapy and was put onto medication. I couldnt do anything. Not even watch telly.
An occupational therapist at the Maudsley Hospital encouraged her to try a Shared Reading group and
accompanied her to it for the first few times. Brenda felt at home and was able to become a member of the
group:
It just seemed natural. No one was asking anything of me but I could feel it kick-start my brain again. It
engages all of your mind and gets you off the negative thoughts. I suddenly started to feel all right it was
such a surprise!
Now, having been trained as a Reader Leader, she runs a weekly group in South London: My daughters cant
believe it. I am back. I love running the group, we all get so much from it its transformed my life completely.
Brenda is passing on to others the thing she needed - but didnt know she needed - and found in Shared
Reading. She epitomises the Reader Leaders who are going to bring about the reading revolution.
Through community-led Shared Reading, where The Reader trains and supports community members
like Brenda, we are putting Shared Reading into the hands of those who are closest to, and understand
best, the needs of their communities. We now need to develop the infrastructure to support this new
double impact model, where passionate readers, who know, personally, the value of Shared Reading
can offer their attention and energy and love of reading to others, who need to find it.

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Creativity, Time and Spirit
Calderstones Mansion House continues to thrive as The Readers national HQ and International
Centre for Reading and Well-being. Over two years ago we set out on the journey of raising 4m
which rose to 5m during the trip to renovate and develop the Mansion House. As we go to press,
that journey is almost complete, and I look forward to reporting on the start of the build in next years
report. Many thanks to Heritage Lottery Fund and Liverpool City Council for their sustained support
during the development period.
Some very exciting enterprises have been launched this year at Calderstones. November is perhaps
not the ideal month to have opened our Ice Cream Parlour but even so the 22 flavours drew some
hardy customers. Its a once a month treat for me to pop in and see what is new on the menu. When
I started The Reader I could never have imagined we would be running an Ice Cream Parlour! Alongside
The Reader Caf, the ICP, as it is known to its friends, will bring in valuable unrestricted funds to The
Reader for years to come, as well as providing employment opportunities at Calderstones. Many park-
users have told me how glad they are that The Reader has come to the park, and what a lot we have
added to it.
In February we opened our amazing and unique Storybarn - an interactive story, book and imagination
space, with its hot-air balloon, giant robot and fire-escape-slide. Many congratulations to the
production team - those who imagined it, those who found the investment to build it, those who
imagined the reading experiences within, those who did the business planning and organised the staffing
rotas and those who marketed the offer to schools and the public.
All of this is testament to the enterprise and creativity that exists at the heart of The Reader and
which is crucial to future success of the organisation.
But I also want to thank the reading group members who turn up, week-after-week to benefit from
the Shared Reading groups we provide and who also spread the message of The Readers work at
Calderstones. And I want to thank the volunteers who run the reception desk, day-in and day-out,
wonderfully and calmly welcoming our visitors, dealing with found dogs and lost children, and with
complaints about the public toilets with immense patience and civility. Volunteers who repot or water
the plants, bring flowers, or photos, or help to maintain the buildings, bookshelf-putter-uppers,
decorators, those who help in The Storybarn and Caf, the books-sorters. Without these
contributions from individuals giving their time and attention and spirit more important than the
money, in the end - this huge project would simply not be possible.
As we enter the next chapter for The Reader - rebuilding the Mansion House and building the
infrastructure to support community-led Shared Reading, I want to end this introduction by thanking
all my colleagues and fellow readers, and ask that you continue to spread the word about the work of
The Reader, so that everyone, whoever they are, wherever they are, can access a Shared Reading
group.
Thank you, readers
Jane

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The Reader in Health
I believe that it was mainly thanks to this experience with The Reader that I was hired as a facilitator in a
therapeutic community where people with serious mental health live. Volunteering for The Reader was a
powerful life experience where I also learnt a lot about myself and my abilities.
Reader Leader, South London
The Reader has continued to bring the benefits of Shared Reading to people experiencing or at risk of
experiencing health problems. Many projects focussed on the delivery of Shared Reading groups by
trained community-based Reader Leaders including:

Barnet: Training and support for 36 volunteers to deliver Shared Reading sessions for older
people living in the community or in care homes.
Merseyside: Five year Big Lottery supported project in Merseyside recruited and supported
242 individuals either experiencing or at risk of experiencing mental health problems to deliver
Shared Reading groups but also volunteer to support Head Office Teams at Calderstones.
South London: Supported by Guys and St. Thomas Charity, The Reader has now provided
training and support for 177 professionals and volunteers to deliver Shared Reading sessions
across hospital and community locations to improve mental well-being.
Knowsley: on-going two-year project funded by Knowsley Public Health and Knowsley CCG
delivered by 107 Reader Leaders working across young people, mental health and dementia.
North Wales: Three-year project focussed on groups in community, care home and hospital
locations with an emphasis on rural locations and groups in the Welsh language. Midway
through the second year of the project, we have trained 57 individuals as Reader Leaders and
engaged over 600 individuals through Shared Reading groups
Evaluation from these projects demonstrates how the Reader Leader role has an impact on the lives
of those leading the groups, as well as the people they read with:

77% tell us being a Reader Leader improved their well-being

84% report improved confidence
94% developed leadership skills
68% say it helped them feel more connected to their community

The Reader has continued to deliver staff-led groups through long-standing projects with:

Mental Health Trusts: 5 Boroughs, Mersey Care, Greater Manchester West, West London
and Sheffield Care Trust
Public Health Departments: Wirral and Cheshire East
Clinical Commissioning Groups: Liverpool, Inner West London
Library Services: Tri-Borough
Through both community-led and staff-led groups The Reader has engaged a total of 4,388 individuals
either experiencing or at risk of experiencing mental health problems. Evaluation from Shared Reading
groups for people living in the community highlights the following impact:

94% feel relaxed (calmer) whilst in the group

97% feel safe and welcome in the group
92% hearing other peoples views helps me think differently about things
85% listening to and talking about the stories makes me think about my own life

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As part of The Readers strategic plan we have identified the need to improve the evidence base for
Shared Reading. In January 2016, through funding from the British Academy and Royal Liverpool and
Broadgreen Hospital Trust, the University of Liverpool started a research study comparing the benefits
of Shared Reading to Cogitative Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for individuals living with Chronic Pain.
This ground breaking study will be the first time Shared Reading has been compared against a NICE
recommended intervention and will hopefully lead to future NICE recommendations for Shared
Reading and support medical professionals incorporating Shared Reading into treatment pathways.
Double Impact - Jennifers Reader Story
Care Home Reader Leader
My grandmother attended a Shared Reading group. I went with her a few times and was really surprised at
how much I enjoyed it. I got the opportunity to train to be a Reader Leader in the care home I worked at. I
had three days training which was fresh, interesting and thoroughly enjoyable. I ran a weekly group in the care
home for elderly people and people living with dementia for a year. It was the highlight of my week and theirs
too. I found this was the best possible activity to enable elderly people and people living with dementia to truly
express themselves. The poems unlocked something inside them like nothing else can.
I left school with very poor qualifications, but following this experience I have since been able to enrol in a
course for serious readers, the Reading in Practice MA. I never imagined I would be working towards earning
a degree in my whole life so that is a big surprise and benefit for me.
From admittedly not having a scrap of appreciation for poetry I have developed a love for poetry and a desire
to read. I feel I have definitely gained more confidence in public speaking. I have far better conversational skills
and am able to quote poems, which makes me sound like I have been reading poetry all my life! As volunteering
opportunities go, it is everything you wish it was and more. Everyone should try it at least once.

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The Reader in Criminal Justice
Ive been in here for itll be 28 years in three days.
And to be honest, this is the best part of my week. This makes you feel human.
Shared Reading group member,
Category A prison, reading Silas Marner by George Eliot
For nearly a decade The Reader has been running Shared Reading groups in the Criminal Justice System
in a range of settings including prisons, Approved Premises, high-security psychiatric hospitals, secure
units and community justice initiatives. Within the prison estate we work in categories A, B and C
with men, women and young offenders. Through the Personality Disorder pathway, we work in all
Psychologically Informed Planned Environments (PIPEs).
During the past year, the main developments within the criminal justice sector have been:

Through partnership with Greater Manchester West Mental Health Trust, we secured funding
to deliver Shared Reading groups in Secure Childrens Homes Barton Moss and St.
Catherines. The groups have been shown to increase pro-social behaviour and our sessions
complement the work of the unit by heling the children find ways of moving away from
unhelpful patterns of thinking and behaving.
Secured funding to work with HMP Liverpool and HMP Kennett through partnership with
Lancashire Care Trust. Through this project, The Reader has delivered Shared Reading groups
and DIY Shared Reading training which enables group members to progress to deliver their
own Shared Reading group.
In a ground-breaking moment for The Reader, The Northern Ireland Public Health Agency
released the first ever tender for Shared Reading Services. The Reader successfully secured
the contract to work in all prisons in Northern Ireland.
Hell share his thoughts but also share some real sensitive issues;
he talks about his mum with mental health issues, his brother with a learning difficulty,
his childhood experiences and he would never allow himself to do that in other environments.
Staff member, Secure Childrens Unit
We are now working in a total of 33 justice settings across the UK and in these environment last year
engaged 1,091 individuals which provided 14,771 beneficiary experiences. Outcomes from this work
has included:

62% reported improved mental well-being

95% felt safe and welcomed
88% felt different after hearing others views
70% said listening and discussing helped them think about changes they wanted to make in the
future
The largest area of work within Criminal Justice remains the work with PIPEs. During this year we
worked with PIPEs in 11 Prisons and seven Approved Premises. Developments included working with
three therapeutic communities and a wing for over fifties. Training remains a key feature of the project
and this year we trained staff in 27 prisons to deliver Shared Reading groups.

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Double Impact - Bens Reader Story
Group member and Reader Trained Peer Group Leader Category A. Prison
.its like a sort of skill you can use outside of the group to switch your mood if you wake up in a bad
mood.The groups made me kinder.
This group is the best thing I do in here. It took me a while to get my head around it being with so many
people in the room all at once was a big adjustment, I wasnt used to group working. And I didnt understand
why I couldnt choose what to read. I can see now the rationale behind having things chosen for us because if
I was just left to myself Id only read stuff like fantasy, stuff I already know.
If you always just stayed comfortable how would you change, how would you move forward?
In here theres an emphasis on great literature and the reading can be quite rich. I like the fact its not
predictable, theres variety and you never know what the Reader-in-Residence is going to bring in for us to read.
We read Frankenstein, one chapter at a time. It took us a year! It was a deep one there was so much to
talk about and it was quite exciting because you didnt know where the conversation would end up.
You hear the same thing day in day out in the prison environment and the group is something different. Its
really refreshing to hear different peoples perspectives and have my brain engaged.
It makes you see things differently and its like you start learning about yourself because you see bits of yourself
in the characters and you relate to them.
It makes you see that youre not on your own - some of the characters are just like you with what they are
doing or thinking and it helps you to make sense of your own thoughts. We read Catcher in the Rye, that was
really good, and it was like my thoughts and feelings had been given shape in the words, like more tangible.
You connect with the others in the group as well because you get to hear their opinions and find out a bit about
who they are and how they think. You see a different side to them. And you can see them moving forward in
a way they wouldnt usually - part of their personality comes out. You see the quiet people building up
confidence.
I lead a group now once a week and I think I understand better now the mechanics of what makes a good
group, you know? Its good. When you lead a group, you might get up in the morning and not want to do it
and be grumpy about it but you kind of force yourself to do it and then you feel better.
It helps you to change your mood, make that shift, put things to one side and engage with the others and be
kind and considerate.
And that works in the same way on the days when you dont have a group its like a sort of skill you can use
outside of the group to switch your mood if you wake up in a bad mood. Yeah, the groups made me kinder.

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The Reader with Young People
I wish I could read with Jess forever til one million or a billion or a gazillion infinity number
I feel so happy when I read with Jess because then it makes me take all the bad memories
and think about the good ones.
Daisy, aged 10, Off The Page,
a project with Liverpool City Council Families Team
There has been much activity during 2015/16 with The Reader engaging over 2,500 Young People
through Shared Reading activity. Key outcomes from this work has included:

91% improvement in reading and engagement with books

86% feel more relaxed during the Shared Reading group
64% I like to talk about (the) stories or poems (we read)
66% report improved levels of comprehension

Highlight have included:

Off The Page, Liverpool City Council Families Team
This ground-breaking project consisted of volunteer Reader Leaders being trained by The Reader to
deliver a one-to-one Shared Reading session in the home of young person who is being supported by
the Liverpool Families Team. These families are identified as having complex and multiple problems.
The project also provided a Summer School at Calderstones Mansion House and delivered a
programme of reading-based events across the City. The project started in April 2015 and concluded
May 2016, and during the first 12 months recruited and trained 88 volunteer Reader Leaders and
engaged 70 at risk children in one-to-one Shared Reading sessions. Impact has been very positive
including the following feedback from a parent:
I would like to thank you and your staff for the excellent support they provide to children and young people.
My son is diagnosed with ADHD and ASD and as such struggles in many areas including learning and
engaging with people. The matching process has been fantastic in matching Tom to his volunteer with
whom he has developed a positive rapport. Toms reading has really developed to the point where he is now
picking up the paper and reading articles without prompting.
Prior to becoming involved with The Reader, Tom refused to read independently at home despite prompting
by myself and his father, so the turnaround in his enthusiasm to and enjoyment of reading is amazing. Thank
you all so much for the fantastic work you do with the children and young people of this city.
A key learning is that there are many people in our city of Liverpool who want to help children and
families, and that the children and families welcome this help. It is clear that this significant human
resource should be more formally recognised by the Families Stakeholder Group, and called on to do
more for the city of Liverpool. The benefits in many cases are two-way. Whilst a key challenge at the
outset was the gradual nature of referrals, the project finished the year with a waiting list for young
people and volunteers wanting to take part in the project.

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Liverpool City of Readers
City of Readers is a campaign to transform Liverpool into the UKs foremost reading city. The purpose
of the campaign is to develop a generation of readers who love to read and will the power of great
books into the future. The campaign is a partnership between The Reader, Liverpool City Council and
Liverpool Learning Partnership with Jane Davis the Director of City of Readers, on secondment to
Liverpool Learning Partnership to lead the delivery of the project.
The project has continued to expand during the 15/16 financial year with:

731 Reading Revolutionaries trained since the start of the project in 2014
37 Schools receiving Reader-in-Residence provision
120 students from Liverpool Hope University trained as Reading Ambassadors to support
children with reading in in Liverpool Hope University Affiliated Schools.
Completed a Stories for You and Yours project the Liverpool Private, Voluntary and Independent
Sector Nursery Sector funded by Liverpool City Council engaging over 600 two-year olds

High profile events have also been delivered across the City including the first Anytime is Storytime in
Summer 2015, which involved free story sessions for families across in the City in five locations
including The Dazzle Ferry at the Pier Head. After enjoying stories read aloud by trained Storysharers,
families also received a free book to take away with them.

City of Readers linked up with Merseytravel and Merseylearn to Shared Reading with travellers from
across the City. As part of Moved to Read, thousands of free books have been distributed on public
transport around Liverpool, promoting public reading as a habit. Not only do the books prove a great
read but once people have finished reading they have been passing books onto another commuter.

Parental Engagement Fund

Through the Parental Engagement Fund, a joint fund between Esmee Fairbairn Foundation and The
Sutton Trust, The Reader secured funding to deliver Stories for You and Yours, a reading programme
designed to engage parents in shared reading with their child by building their confidence to read with
their child and encourage a love of stories and poems. The project is targeting the area of Sefton and
has so far engaged 117 families.
The project has strong evaluation focus with The Reader working with a team of research experts
from the University of Oxford. The experts are supporting the design and deliver of the evaluation
process to help ensure The Reader secures a statistically significant evidence base which helps identify
the key elements of successful parental engagement interventions
Alongside this project, The Reader began a project in February 2016 with the University of Liverpool
supported by the Economic Social Research council to determine how shared reading promotes child
language development. The aim is to this knowledge to make Shared Reading an effective language
boosting tool for child language boosting tool for children from all social and economic backgrounds.

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Double Impact Sallys Reader Story
Volunteer for Off The Page Project
Ive been coming to a reading group every Friday morning at The Reader for a long time, more or less since it
opened. I was thinking of volunteering and a friend there mentioned Off The Page, which was about reading
with children, so I put my name forward and thats how it started. I had an interview and then did some
training, and then in early January I was matched with Maya.
Maya is wonderful - very enthusiastic, a little bit excitable, funny, intelligent, and she loves reading! She loves
talking about the books, and she loves the one-to-one relationship - she really likes that; I think the relationship
is the most important part in a way.
I see her every Thursday at four o clock and I love those afternoons when I go to see her; I miss doing it when
its the holidays. I get probably as much as she does out of it because its a pleasure to be with her, it really is.
Its only an hour and it passes very quickly and she always says, Have we got any longer? It would be so easy
to give her longer but I keep to the rules.
This child hasnt had the greatest start in life. Theres obviously not a lot of reading in the house and I feel that
this initiative not only gives her the opportunity to read with someone, it also gives her the opportunity to have
a relationship with an adult whos interested in her.
She was a bit serious to begin with - shes relaxed a little more now and I think she realises that she can have
fun with the reading, and that we can laugh together. Well read a book and then shell say straight away,
Whats the next one?! so sometimes its about slowing her down a little and getting her to think and talk
about things a bit more she has a little bit of a butterfly mind. Its lovely when she says, Is this a new book?!
A brand new book? Has nobody read it before? She thinks thats something really special. Its so important
for her this, and she gets such a lot out of it as do I.

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The Reader at Calderstones
This is where mental health services should be, somewhere beautiful like this. I feel good today
Service User from PSS, after retreat at Calderstones Mansion House
We continue to bring Calderstones Mansion to life with people and with lots of activities; there is a
real buzz about the place and lots of people feel it, whether group member, caf user, volunteer or
dog walker. Were building on our Shared Reading model, extending the social connections into other
activities such as volunteering, the arts, food, meditation, exercise and enjoying the park.
Since our lease began in 2014, we have:

Provided 55,624 beneficiary experiences through Shared Reading groups

Delivered an events programme which has been attended by 10,780 individuals including a
production of Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeares Globe.
Provided Heritage Tours which have been attended by 1,166 individuals
Hosted 76 exhibitions through The Reader Gallery
Recruited 114 volunteers to support all elements of Calderstones activity
Employed 48 paid individuals to support enterprises and activity at Calderstones

Highlights this year have included:

The Storybarn:
Through generous funding from Social Investment Business, The Storybarn opened its doors in January
2016. The Storybarn is an interactive story-centre for young people to explore, share and discover
their love of books. A thrilling world of imagination where children can embark on a literary adventure,
The Storybarn features live-reading from our story-sharers, crafts and a giant slide! The Storybarn is
also available for educational away-days for schools structured around key National Curriculum texts
or tailored to incorporate a choice of texts selected by the school.
During February and March, 4,000 young people and their family members attended The Storybarn
alongside 22 School Classes (550 School Children). During this time, The Reader hosted a touring
exhibition from the Discover Childrens Story Centre in London. The Wonderful World of Oliver Jeffers
brought classic Oliver Jeffers publications to life in an interactive exhibition. Over 3,500 individuals
attended the exhibition.
Whilst The Storybarn continues to the build the market during this start-up phase, feedback has been
very positive:
Exactly the learning class teachers would love to offer if we had the space, resources and staff
Mosspits Primary School
Fabulous place to come to with the children, amazing features,
can easily spend the day here. Fabulous staff, an asset to the city.
Parent
As always, we had a brilliant time at the Storybarn. The staff were so attentive with my daughter. The
children were engaged, challenged and stimulated throughout. My children are quite shy and it was
wonderful to see them responding so well.
Parent

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Capital Fundraising:

In November 2015, The Reader received confirmation from Heritage Lottery Funding that we had
been awarded a capital grant of 1,879,200 for the refurbishment of the Mansion House. This was
followed by confirmation from Liverpool City Council of an award of 2.1m repayable over the
duration of the lease for Calderstones Mansion House. This funding alongside several charitable
donations from charitable foundations has enabled The Reader to begin preparation for the capital
refurbishment programme which is anticipated to start in 2017. During this period The Reader will
continue to fundraise for the remaining capital required to secure the total budget.

Calderstones and Health:

The Reader at Calderstones grew out of the conviction that people needed a self-willed engagement
in meaning and social connection for more than the couple of hours we can offer through Shared
Reading outreach. We continue to develop the project in the spirit of Peckham Experiment which was
an investigation into the nature of health. The experiment concluded that health is more than just an
absence of disease and that the Peckham Experiment was an opportunity to develop health and
happiness.

In Summer 2015, we held a Peckham flavoured Summer Fair, which was attended by Henrietta Trotter,
the last living Peckham staffer, who reflected on her visit to Calderstones by saying:

What a pleasure to visit The Reader at Calderstones and their Peckham-flavoured Summer Fair. It was so
moving to stand in the garden and see some elements of Peckham coming to life in this new incarnation. The
spirit of Peckham lives on in this remarkable second phase experiment. Good luck, Readers!

We continued to engage with partners from across the City about the health benefits of the
Calderstones model and in January 2016, we held an event with Rob Trimble, Chief Executive of
Bromley-by-Bow, to introduce local GPs to the preventative health model of Bromley-By-Bow and
the similarities with the work of The Reader at Calderstones. Rob Trimble subsequently agreed to
become a Patron of The Reader.

17
Calderstones Community Interest Company
The Reader worked with Hogan Lovells to review the charity law implications of activities delivered
at Calderstones Mansion House. It was identified that several of these activities where considered
non-primary purpose and the most appropriate way to govern and manage these activities was through
a subsidiary wholly owned by The Reader Organisation. A Community Interest Company was
considered the most suitable venture for both current and future activities. On 24 August 2015,
Calderstones Mansion House Community Interest Company was registered to initially operate non-
primary purpose activity The Reader Caf and The Reader Ice Cream Parlour.
The Directors for the Company Interest Company will initially be staff and trustees of The Reader
Organisation:

Kathy Doran (Chair)

John Flamson
Jane Davis
Chris Catterall (Chief Executive)
Ruth Scott-Williams (Company Secretary)

The main highlight from Calderstones Community Interest Company:

The Reader Ice Cream Parlour:
In October 2015, we launched The Reader Ice Cream Parlour. Situated next to The Storybarn, the
parlour sells the very best selection of ice cream flavours supplied by Cheshire Farm Ice Cream. Since
opening the parlour has completed over 15,000 transactions. The Reader Ice Cream Parlour has
proved to be a popular addition to Calderstones Park:
Just had a lovely walk round Calderstones park and had a brew in their new ice cream parlour.
Very nice and dead cheap too.
Sam Avery, Twitter
Gorgeous ice cream at The Ice Cream Parlour at Calderstones Park.
We recommend the ferrero rocher and white choc chunk!
Lynn Hilditch, Twitter

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Organisational Development
As a young organisation, The Reader also delivered several significant organisational development
activities during 2015/16.
Chief Operating Officer:
Following a staffing review carried out with the support of Social Business Trust the need for a Chief
Operating Officer was identified. This role would free Jane Davis and Chris Catterall from day-to-day
activities enabling them to focus on developing the organisation and provide the organisation with
greater financial capability and capacity. In November 2015, Sarah Fletcher was appointed as the first
Chief Operating Officer of The Reader. Sarah has significant management and financial experience
following a career in leading professional services organisation supporting clients in both the private
and public sector.
Rebranding:
Due to the breadth of our work developing in an organic way, a recurrent challenge was how to
articulate what we do. This was complicated further by operating in a crowded and competitive
market places. In 2015 we identified the need to rebrand the organisation and appointed Small Black
Room to assist with this. Small Black Room developed a series of tools that could be adjusted
depending on the audience and setting. However it was also essential that no matter which were used,
The Readers Story was consistent and compelling. To achieve this Small Black Room created
Connect, Realise, Change, an expression that captured the heart of The Readers message and was
also easily adaptable.
Staff Development:
Following recent growth the need to focus on staff development was identified. During 2015, we have
worked to establish Career Pathways in the organisation to support staff retention and ensure we
have staff ready and available for future commissions. Through a detailed piece of work we have
identified two clear pathways for career development in the organisation Delivery Pathway and
Management/Support Pathway.
The delivery pathway allows staff to build on their delivery experience and develop skills in either
course leadership, or mentoring, or both. The support pathway allows staff to develop leadership and
management skills which can be applied to projects, people or function management. Training
programmes for each of these pathways has been implemented during 2015.
A further development during 2015 was the launch of The Reader Academy. The purpose of the
Academy is to develop and deliver learning programmes which train staff, volunteers and Reader
Leaders from both a technical and behavioural perspective. Sophie Clarke was appointed to lead the
development and delivery of The Reader Academy.

Awards
Jane Davis made The Independent Happy List 100 and was listed as one of 67 Change Makers by the
Southbank Centre for her commitment to using reading to enrich the lives of others.

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Publications
Highlights from publications released by The Reader include:
A Little, Aloud with Love by Angela Macmillan
In February 2015, we launched the latest anthology with A Little Aloud with Love launched just ahead of
Valentines Day at Waterstones in Liverpool One. The anthology is designed to be read aloud to a
loved one and features popular selections from writers across time from Shakespeare and Shelley to
Haruki Murakami and Wendy Cope.
The Reader magazine issues 58-61
Four issues of The Reader magazine where published during 2015/16 under the guidance (Editor) of
Prof. Phil Davis. Highlights include:

New poetry comes from Matthew Hollis, Blake Morrison and Carol Rumens
Bill Bailey speaks to Fiona Magee about his particular brand of comedy, his relationship with
language and the importance of reading out loud
Rowan Williams writes about a namesake in his essay on the difficult figure Charles Williams
and the Inklings group
Jason Hazeley and Joel Morris discuss their hugely successful series of Ladybird books for
adults

Events
The Reader either delivered or where involved in a number of high-quality events during 2015/16.
Highlights included:
Penny Readings, Liverpool, 13 December 2015
An evening of special readings, music and entertainment were put on in the Concert Room at St.
Georges Hall. The evening included readings from Maxine Peak and Shaun Lawrence. This sold out
event was attended by over 450 individuals.
Participation in the Arts in Health Conference at Royal Festival Hall London
On the 5 February 2016, The Reader was a key presenter at the first national Arts and Health
Conference at the Southbank Centre. This major event has been organised by Aesop, the arts and
health social enterprise, and was attended by the Secretary of State for Health, Chair of NHS England,
Chair of Arts Council England and Public Health England's Director of Health and Well-being.
Other notable events during 2015/16 included:

The Calderstones Summer Fair

Shakesepares Globe on Tour Romeo and Juliet
Launch event for The Reader Ice Cream Parlour
Launch event for A Little, Aloud with Love at Waterstones, Liverpool
Volunteer celebration events in Leicester, London and Liverpool
Oliver Jeffers touring exhibition at Calderstones
In Conversation with Rob Trimble an event to introduce local GPs to the Bromley-by-Bow
model.

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Future Developments
The focus of our work continues to be centred around the main aims set out in our Strategic Plan:

High Quality Core Business Delivery (Consolidate)

Develop a Community-led Delivery Model (Create)
Complete the Capital Refurbishment of Calderstones Mansion House (Create)
Develop the evidence base for Shared Reading (Evidence)
Secure project commissions for Community, Criminal Justice and Health projects (Proactive
Development)
Build strong organisational systems and processes (Build)

Trustees
The trustees who served during the year are detailed on page 3.
The trustees of the charity may at any time co-opt any individual who is qualified to be appointed as a
Trustee to fill a vacancy in their number or as an additional trustee, but a co-opted trustee holds office
only until the next Annual General Meeting.
Susan Rutherford resigned as Chair of the Trustees on 15 February 2016; Susan resigned as a trustee
on the same date. Kathy Doran was appointed Chair of the Trustees on 15 February 2016.
None of the trustees (or any persons connected with them) received any remuneration during the
year, but one of them was reimbursed a total of 319.30 travelling expenses (2015: one was
reimbursed 520)
Trustees, Induction and Training
The Reader has designed a comprehensive induction for new Trustees that includes but is not limited
to:

A briefing from the Chair

Meeting with other Trustees
Meeting with each of the Management Team
Meeting as many Reader staff as possible at the first opportunity (usually by attendance at a
Think Day/the Annual Conference etc.)
Attending a Shared Reading Group and / or a Read to Lead training session
This programme of meetings is accompanied by an induction pack that includes useful papers such as:

The Readers Business Plan

Copies of previous Board minutes
The Readers constitution
Charity Commission guidance Being a Trustee and The Essential Trustee: What you need to
know
A welcome letter from the Chair
Trustee Role Description
Latest Annual report and final accounts
Vision, Mission and Key facts
Information on conflict of interests

21
Investment Power and Policy
Under the Memorandum and Articles of Association, the charity has the power to invest in any lawful
way the trustees wish, after having obtained such advice from a financial expert as the trustees consider
necessary having regard to the suitability of investments and the need for diversification.
Funders and Commissioners

5 Boroughs Partnership NHS Knowsley MBC

Foundation Trust Leicestershire Libaries
London Borough of Barnet Limbourne Trust
The Barbour Foundation Liverpool CCG
BBC Children in Need Liverpool Charity and Voluntary
Berkshire Healthcare NHS Service
Foundation Trust Liverpool City Council
Bedford Square Charitable Trust Liverpool Hope University
Big Lottery England Liverpool Learning Partnership
Big Lottery Wales Mersey Care NHS Trust
Big Venture Challenge National Personality Disorder Team
Birkenhead Foundation Years Trust at the Department of Health/Home
Broadgreen International School Office
Central London Community Maudsley Charity
Healthcare NHS Trust Oxford Health NHS Foundation
Cheshire East Borough Council Trust
Cheshire West & Chester Council Phoenix Futures
Comic Relief Royal Liverpool & Broadgreen
Devon Library Service University Hopsitals NHS Trust
Esmee Fairbairn Foundation Sefton Council for Voluntary Service
Garfield Weston Foundation Sheffield Health & Social Care NHS
Gloucestershire CCG Foundation Trust
Greater Manchester West Mental Social Business Trust
Health NHS Foundation Trust Social Investment Business
The Guys and St. Thomas Charity Somerset County Council
Halton Borough Council The Sutton Trust
Harbour Centre Tri-Borough Library Service
The Headley Trust The Tudor Trust
Heritage Lottery Fund University of Liverpool
HMP Durham Unwin Trust
HMP Frankland West London Mental Health NHS
HMP Low Newton Trust
Jewish Care Wiltshire County Council
John Ellerman Foundation Wirral MBC
Knowsley CCG Woodchurch High School, Wirral

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Staff
The trustees acknowledge the commitment and dedication of the charitys staff which has been critical
to the success of the organisation over the course of the year. It is not just their professionalism and
dedication but also the over and above; community fundraising, organising events and trips for reading
group members, being ambassadors, and embracing changes as the organisation develops and matures.

Public Benefit
The majority of activities provided by The Reader are funded by third parties, principally public sector
bodies but additionally, from charitable trusts and partner organisations.
There is an annual programme of activities, with some activities carrying a charge, however the
majority of the programme at Calderstones is free at the point of entry.
The trustees have had due regard to the guidance published by the Charity Commission on public
benefit.

Financial Review
During 2015/16 The Reader Organisations income was split across the following sources:

10% grants and donations

80% commissioned delivery of Shared Reading (our principal charitable activity)
9% trading income (which led to the creation of a Community Interest Company in year)
1% investment and other income
The above income is utilised to delivery Shared Reading in a variety of settings to deliver our mission
to build a reading revolution.
The overall deficit for the year before movement of funds and excluding designated funds was 55,923,
following investment to grow the charity. Total income increased from 2,813,854 to 3,551,228,
reflecting a 26% rise from 2014/15.
The overall surplus for the financial year after movement in funds was 251,681, resulting in a further
increase in reserves. 373,855 of this has been included within a designated fund as it relates to the
capital expenditure on The Storybarn building. This will be released over 10 years (the useful economic
life of the refurbishments undertaken within the building), in line with our accounting policy.
The Reader Organisations end of year cash at bank balance stood at 733,183. The cash balance at
the end of the year remains a significant proportion of organisational funding. The charity's working
capital remains under constant review.

Reserves Policy
The charitys reserves policy is to build up unrestricted reserves sufficient to enable the charitys core
running costs to be continued for a period of three months should regular funding become
unobtainable. Three months core running costs equate to around 304,271 and currently the level of
unrestricted, undesignated reserves amounts to 429,938.

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Risk Review
The Reader is committed to sound business practice and the embedding of risk management into the
organisations culture. The Readers risk register is used to gain a comprehensive view of the work of
the organisation, and reveals strengths and opportunities as well as weaknesses.
Risk assessments involve staff from across the organisation and the formal risk register is reviewed by
the trustees at each meeting and the register details the steps and procedures in place to mitigate the
risks.

Disclosure of Information to Auditors

Each of the trustees has confirmed that there is no information of which they are aware which is
relevant to the audit, but which the auditor is unaware. They have further confirmed that they have
taken appropriate steps to identify such relevant information and to establish that the auditors are
aware of such information.

Small Companies Provision

This report has been prepared in accordance with the special provisions relating to small companies
with Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006 and with the Financial Reporting Standards for Smaller Entities
(effective April 2008).

Auditors
A resolution proposing that BW Macfarlane LLP were reappointed as Auditors was agreed by the
Board at the Annual General Meeting on the 19 October 2015.

24
THE READER ORGANISATION
COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE
INDEPENDENT AUDITOR'S REPORT (CONTINUED)
TO THE MEMBERS OF THE READER ORGANISATION

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters where the Companies Act 2006 and the Charities
Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended) requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:
- adequate accounting records have not been kept, or returns adequate for our audit have not been received
from branches not visited by us; or
- the accounts are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or
- certain disclosures of trustees' remuneration specified by law are not made; or
- we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit; or
- the trustees were not entitled to prepare the financial statements in accordance with the small companies
regime and take advantage of the small companies exemption in preparing the trustees report (which is
also the directors report for the purposes of company law) and take advantage of the small companies
exemption from the requirement to prepare a strategic report.

Other matter
Your attention is drawn to the fact that the charity has prepared accounts in accordance with "Accounting and
Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in
accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) in
preference to the Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice issued on 1 April
2005 which is referred to in the extant regulations but has now been withdrawn.

This has been done in order for the accounts to provide a true and fair view in accordance with Generally
Accepted Accounting Practice effective for reporting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2015.

Lesley Malkin BA FCA (Senior Statutory Auditor)

for and on behalf of BWMacfarlane .........................

Chartered Accountants
Statutory Auditor Castle Chambers
43 Castle Street
Liverpool
Merseyside
L2 9SH
United Kingdom

- 22 -
THE READER ORGANISATION
COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES
INCLUDING INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2016

Unrestricted Restricted Total Total

funds funds 2016 2015
Notes
Income from:
Donations and legacies 3 151,153 323,822 474,975 150,039
Charitable activities 4 386,354 2,404,506 2,790,860 2,366,730
Other trading activities 5 406,571 - 406,571 288,455
Investments 6 6,098 - 6,098 8,630

Total income 950,176 2,728,328 3,678,504 2,813,854

Expenditure on:
Raising funds 7 256,239 - 256,239 141,679

Charitable activities 8 728,454 2,426,301 3,154,755 2,587,520

Total expenditure 984,693 2,426,301 3,410,994 2,729,199

Net income/(expenditure) (34,517) 302,027 267,510 84,655

Transfers between funds (4,776) 4,776 - -

Net income/(expenditure) & Net movement in funds (39,293) 306,803 267,510 84,655

Reconciliation of funds
Fund balances at 1 April 2015 485,861 66,251 552,112 467,457

Fund balances at 31 March 2016 446,568 373,054 819,622 552,112

The statement of financial activities also complies with the requirements for an income and expenditure account
under the Companies Act 2006.

- 23 -
This document contains an extract of The Readers full annual report
and accounts, full details are available from Companies House.

Get in touch and be part of the story

0151 729 2200 info@thereader.org.uk
thereader.org.uk @thereaderorg