Earlier this month, we attended Community Together Day in St James’ Park, which was exactly that: a coming together of the Tredworth community and beyond. Organised by Councillor Sajid Patel, it was a joyful occasion with a fun, carnival-type atmosphere. Alongside our Not So Secret Book Club were Freedom Leisure, the NHS, the council, Maternity Voices and Gloucestershire Gateway Trust, interspersed with a bouncy slide, circus performers and games. The soundtrack was as diverse as the attendees, with music from around the world. It was like Eurovision, only more global!
Putting up our bunting was a breeze, thanks to a 10ft assistant, and we had regular drive-pasts from a penny-farthing cyclist. Bubble aficionados and balloon artists wowed the children, with a fire-juggler closing the event with a nailbiting performance on the hard basketball court – not the tinder-dry park.
Read With Me’s trusty gazebo, now bearing the scars of years of service, provided shade and sun protection to more than a hundred visitors. From tots to teens and their families, children chose books to take home, sat and chatted whilst doing some arts and crafts, and listened to stories.
A stone’s throw away from the Bartongate Children and Family Centre, we reached target families whose primary-school-age children would thrive at our Read Together after-school club (Tuesdays 3.15pm-4.30pm, term time). Some hadn’t heard of our work before, but an increasing number had either visited us at summer HAF (Holiday Activity and Food) events, or had seen our publicity materials in the area or from school promotions.
Gloucester’s great and the good popped by – including Mayor Adrian Graham, Sheriff and Deputy Mayor Anne Radley, and County Councillor Andrew Gravells MBE – as well as former residents now living in places as far away as Birmingham, mainland Europe and even America. The latter said she was visiting family in Tredworth, where she’d grown up. She missed the strong sense of community, saying the States lacked the same ‘heart’ and cohesion.
We hadn’t intended to stay the full length of time, as it was a long day at the end of a very busy week of events. But the hours flew by and we were the last to pack away – buoyed by the atmosphere and connections we’d made. Before leaving, our founder and director, Linda Cohen, quizzed the DJ, taking notes of what to add to her Spotify playlists. A week on, I still have the Romani song ‘Postari Avel’ as an earworm. It’s a banger!
Sunday’s event in the Forest of Dean couldn’t have been more different. Away from the GL1 hubbub, I had to dodge free-roaming sheep to reach the Bream Book Fair. It was calmer, greener, and more ‘Sunday’. That’s not to say it wasn’t busy. Now in its fifth year, Bream Book Fair has become a red-letter day for Forest book lovers, with the huge sports ground hosting dozens of local authors, as well as many charming stalls. There was a steady stream of bookish people who know the importance of nurturing a love of reading in children.
Read With Me volunteers Helen and Kay helped to man the stall, where we had free children’s books, together with promotional material. We spoke with potential volunteers and caught up with existing ones, and chatted with staff from local schools and colleges. A pub quiz team learned about our work and have pledged to make us charity of the month.
We also connected with Forest author Gerry O’Brien, who was promoting his Wildlife Whispers book. His next work is Owl Odyssey, and Gerry kindly agreed to do a talk for us about the book and his own tawny owl, The Professor. Watch this space!
– Claire Horton-Bussey, Events and Community Outreach Officer
