Reading for Wellbeing groups in Folkestone

The Sidney De Haan Research Centre for Arts & Health, The Hearth Centre and Canterbury Christ Church University are setting up a project in Folkestone to look at the impact on health & wellbeing of reading aloud in groups.

The Hearth Centre has completed nine months of this project and the evaluations by staff and patients have been overwhelmingly positive.

The Reading for Wellbeing groups are facilitator-led, and generally use well written fiction and poetry. The facilitator reads aloud from novels, stories and poems, while participants follow from photocopies or books or just listen if they prefer. There is a pause every so often for discussion and reflection, encouraging participants to respond to the text and to how it connects with their experience. Participants can share in the reading aloud, but only if they wish to. Occasionally a creative writing exercise may be offered in response to a text. Groups usually last about an hour to 90 mins.

We aim to recruit and train reading group facilitators who would be interested, and in a position to organise reading group activity in voluntary sector and health organisations in and around Folkestone. We aim to recruit up to 20 participants for training in the Reading for Wellbeing method. The training will be delivered through 5 three hour sessions, when participants will be given opportunities to practice facilitation and share texts which have worked well. Through this process they will gain the skills needed to run groups independently. Email mentoring services will be on offer, following the completion of The Hearth Centre's local input. Our overall aim is to set up and maintain some flourishing Reading for Wellbeing groups in Folkestone. We are particularly interested in developing the method for older participants and those with mental health problems.

The first workshop session is on Friday, 10 December, 1-4pm at UCF.

Further information from this flyer, download an application form, or contact Kristin Wade on: 01227 782845.