by Hollie Nielsen, AWC Central Scotland and AWC London
Support for literacy comes from all kinds of places and people – the FAWCO Education Team, the UN, governments and famous people. Even royalty in the United Kingdom can make a difference in supporting literacy.
For example, The Queen’s Reading Room, Her Majesty Queen Camilla’s charity, takes a multi-pronged approach to improving literacy.
First, their neuroscience research confirms a link between reading fiction books and good mental health, brain health and social health. “Key findings revealed that just 5 minutes of reading can reduce stress by nearly 20%, improve concentration and focus by as much as 11% and that reading earlier in the day can help readers feel more connected to others and feel ready to tackle challenges. We discovered that reading a work of fiction can significantly reduce feelings of loneliness, important because social isolation has already been proven by neuroscientists to have a link with an increased risk of developing different dementias.”1
Many of us instinctively think that reading gives us all these benefits, but it’s important to have the benefits confirmed by scientific study. These findings show how literacy and the habit of readi
ng can improve the quality of everyone’s life, from childhood to old age.
In addition, HM Queen Camilla believes that stories should be a human right and that books belong to everyone. Her channels reach people in 174 countries with fun-filled events and free educational content.
In order to transform well-being, The Queen’s Reading Room (TQRR) takes authors, libraries and shared reading groups into spaces such as shelters, food banks and soup kitchens where well-being might be boosted by books. This outreach fosters literacy as well as good mental health.
TQRR hosts an annual literary festival every year. In 2023, Dame Judi Dench performed Shakespeare, and Helena Bonham Carter attended in 2024. This year, the festival was held at Chatsworth, the backdrop for the film adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. The literary lineup included Jojo Moyes (Me Before You), Helen Fielding (Bridget Jones), Julia Quinn (Bridgerton), Richard Osman (The Thursday Murder Club series) and many other illustrious authors and actors. These festivals, with their roster of famous authors and actors, promote a love of reading and connectedness through shared books. Over 10,000 people regularly attend the literary festivals, giving many inspiration to read and a sense of community, which can improve mental health as well as promote reading. In addition, the charity produces live pop-up literary events all over the UK.
Another prong in the quest to improve literacy is that TQRR recommends books, for the young as well as adults. During the COVID-19 lockdown, HM Queen Camilla shared a list of book recommendations. The phenomenal response showed there was an audience for book recommendations, so she launched “The Reading Room.” Since 2021, she has picked four favorite books, in four seasons, each year. To encourage conversation in book clubs, TQRR provides discussion questions for featured books.
In addition, the website has a list of books recommended by a range of authors. This helps a wide variety of people find a book they will love reading. The exclusive author interviews seek “to advance education by providing opportunities for the appreciation of literature, introducing and celebrating books from around the world.”2 The website has biographies and information on their recommended authors, a font of information and inspiration.
Finally, HRH The Princess of Wales has recommended books for children. With her international fame, she is an ideal ambassador to promote literacy. In the announcement of The Princess’s recommendations, TQRR says: “Regular reading can have a profound impact on children’s wellbeing, literacy and comprehension, introducing them to almost 300,000 more words by the time they start school! A passionate advocate of the importance of Early Childhood Development, The Princess has chosen for The Reading Room five children’s books that she has enjoyed over the years.”3
One more prong is TQRR’s medal celebrating individuals who have championed reading, books and literature in communities around the United Kingdom. The winner will have shown commitment to going above and beyond in spreading the joy of storytelling. In these days of book banning, it’s heartening to hear of an award for people who champion books. “Their contribution will have made a demonstrable impact on the people they serve: improving literacy, transforming non-readers into readers, or helping to improve wellbeing by connecting people with other book lovers. Their impact may be connected to literacy but the key impact is around increasing reading. By spotlighting and celebrating these individuals, we seek to champion those ordinary people who make an extraordinary impact where they live or work. We are particularly keen to emphasise the positive impact to wellbeing – particularly mental health and social connection – which books can help bring in a community.” If you live in the UK, there’s still time to nominate someone for the medal; nominations for the 2025 medal close in December.
In conclusion, TQRR works to celebrate and promote the power and benefits of reading. As HM Queen Camilla says on her website, “With their extraordinary power to educate and inspire, books – from authors around the globe – have enriched my life since I was a child. It has therefore been such a joy to watch my Reading Room grow over the years into a thriving book community. Now a charity, I hope that we, together with our partners, can foster in adults and children alike a lifelong love of literature and connect more people with that special magic that can only be found in the leaves of a book.”
1 The Queen’s Reading Room Study
2 Inside The Queen's Reading Room – The Australian Women's Weekly
