Readathon
I had such an amazing afternoon at Birmingham Children’s Hospital with Readathon. I’m really proud to be their Author in Residence for this year.
Readathon is an amazing charity that raises money to support and encourage reading for children in hospitals all round the UK. What’s even better is that much of their fundraising is all done through children’s reading, with their amazing sponsored reading scheme. My two younger children, Robin and Will, have taken part in this with their school. I love it that children are supporting children.
I spent the afternoon talking to children who were well enough to attend the James Brindley School – the largest hospital school in the UK – and then going around the wards to chat and sign books for children who weren’t able to make it to the school. I also met lots of the brilliant teachers, who work both within the school and on the wards one to one. Imagine taking your whole classroom around with you in a tiny pull-along trolley!
I’m looking forward to going back to the hospital soon – and some of the children I met may still be there, including Henry, Readathon’s ambassador. Henry is living at the hospital while he waits for a heart transplant.
I was lucky enough to chat to Henry, and hear some of his own brilliant writing – he’s writing his version of Around the World in Eighty Days and his geography is a lot better than mine…
