Listening Books celebrate Volunteers Week and the National Year of Reading our own Big Lunch event!
UK audiobook charity Listening Books brought staff and volunteers together from across the country for an event which celebrated both Volunteer’s Week and the National Year of Reading with a Big Lunch event.
Taking place between the 1st to 7th June, Volunteers Week is an annual campaign which celebrates the incredible and invaluable work of volunteers across the country.
As our hardworking volunteers and community champions are dotted around the UK, the Listening Books team chose to hold a virtual lunch to get together, talk about all things audiobooks and thank volunteers for their ongoing efforts to help support the charity.
Hosted by Deputy Membership and PR Manager, Claire Bell, the virtual get-together provided a fantastic opportunity to share stories in an hour of relaxed conversation, with a book-themed spin the wheel activity.
Claire Bell said: "Our volunteers live all over the country so to make sure we could all celebrate together we hosted an online event, with our volunteers receiving some lovely brownies to enjoy in honour of the Big Lunch, and to thank them for all they do to support our charity during the year.
"It was also a great opportunity to share the books we’ve enjoyed, and I think we all finished with some excellent recommendations for our next read!"
Some book highlights and recommendations from Listening Books’ Sharing Stories include:
- Scholomance by Naomi Novic
- Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons
- Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
- A Diary of a Provincial Lady by E. M. Delafield
- Hooked by Asako Yuzuki
- Cleopatra by Saara El-Arifi
- Premonition by Banana Yoshimoto
- Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto
- The Doll Maker's Daughter by Dilly Court
- The Cazalet Chronicles by Elizabeth Jane Howard
- The Other Bennett Sister by Janice Hadlow
- I Still Believe in Miracles by Lucas Jones
- The Power by Naomi Alderman
- An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green
- When the Cranes Fly South by Lisa Ridzén
- And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
- Atonement by Ian McEwan
- How to Kill Your Family by Bella Mackie
- My Husband by Maud Ventura
- Pearl by Sian Hughes
- The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
- Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton
- No One is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood
The lunch event was heavily book themed to reflect the National Year of Reading, as we celebrated the power of sharing excellent stories. There were also a number of mediums discussed, including graphic novels, audiobooks and translated titles, embracing the "Go All In" theme of the National Year of Reading.
Our volunteers said about the event:
“I believe stories have the power to connect us across backgrounds and experiences. It was wonderful to spend time with fellow volunteers who share a passion for making reading accessible and meaningful. Events like this remind me that reading is not just about books - it’s about community, belonging, and the conversations that bring us together.” - Jennifer.
“Thank you for organising this! I really appreciate having some time to talk books and hear some new recommendations! Hearing from everyone what their favourite book is made me add some new books to my TBR!” - Victoria
Think volunteering as a Community Champion sounds like it's for you? Find out more about the opportunity here.
Find out more about The National Year of Reading here.
