Reading Friends project launched in St Ninians Library
An initiative is underway in Stirling which uses reading to bring together volunteers and people who have become socially isolated.
Stirling Council has teamed up with the Scottish Book Trust to pilot the Reading Friends project which was launched at St Ninians Library.
Work is currently underway to expand the first partnerships in care homes across the area. Residents at Fairview Care Home, Cowie Road, Bannockburn, among the first to benefit, thanks to kind volunteers from Bannockburn High School.
Ten students from the school, accompanied by school staff, will meet with Fairview residents either at the care home or St Ninians Library once a week to“chat, listen and learn”.
Planning and regeneration committee convener Chris Kane said: “This is more than just a reading project and we believe the connections the volunteers can make through books can do a lot to alleviate loneliness and improve well-being by bringing people together, bridging the gap between generations and working towards removing the feeling of loneliness and isolation that some people live with.”
Koren Calder, reader development programme manager at the Scottish Book Trust said:“The opportunity for pupils to read together with residents from the local care home at St Ninians Library is a lovely example of the way this project is evolving.”
Tory Group education spokesman Bryan Flannagan said:“Any projects like this are to be welcomed as there are far too many people who feel cut off and isolated in thie own homes or in residential care. I would encourage widening the scope to include a rural community where the challenges can be different due to the distances involved.”