Cavell Court celebrates World Read Aloud Day

Home news

Feb 27, 2017

Cavell Court hit the books when it took part in this year’s World Read Aloud Day, an annual event which celebrates the importance of reading aloud and sharing stories.

Residents from Cavell Court enjoyed a day of interactive reading, and were joined by local actress Sally Burnett to mark the event.

Residents selected their favourite stories to be read aloud by Sally, which included ‘Tom and the Water Babies’ by Charles Kingsley.

Sally, who has performed on TV, radio and the stage, now reads aloud professionally for the RNIB, a charity which supports people with sight loss. 

The Care UK team also invited the local community to join residents for the day, and enjoyed an exclusive screening of a short film created by Care UK featuring international Storyteller Laureate, Taffy Thomas MBE.

In the film, Taffy, the patron of The Society for Storytelling, provided his top tips and advice for reading and explained the therapeutic benefits of reading aloud to older people.

Residents also visited Wymondham Library to warm up for World Read Aloud Day, where local librarian, Helena Last, hosted a reading session and literature-based activities.

Customer relations manager, Samantha Woods, explained why Cavell Court was one of several Care UK care homes that took part in World Read Aloud Day: “It may come as a surprise to many just how beneficial reading aloud can be for older people; particularly those living with dementia.

Here at Cavell Court, interactive reading sessions are very important as they help to engage residents in an interactive activity and encourage communication.

“We had a brilliant day of storytelling with Sally, all the residents enjoyed taking part in the reading aloud sessions and the library visit was a great success.”