The Reader

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The Reader The UK's biggest charity. We read aloud with thousands of adults and children at our home in Calderstones Park and beyond.

The Reader is an award-winning charity working to connect people with great literature through Shared Reading. We bring books to life, delivering Shared Reading groups in libraries, care homes, schools, prisons, on hospital wards and more. Our staff and volunteers create a welcoming environment in which personal feeling is recognised and valued, forming vital connections between people and literature through which everyone can feel more alive. We work to bring about social change by sharing great literature, making it possible for people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities to engage with reading, improve well-being and build community.

Our Bookshelf title picks for October are:Anna Karenina by Leo TolstoyThe Skull by Jon Klassen Read our reflections o...
15/10/2026

Our Bookshelf title picks for October are:

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
The Skull by Jon Klassen

Read our reflections on these stories at https://www.thereader.org.uk/category/literature/the-reader-bookshelf/ 📚

Our annual bookshelf is a carefully curated collection of literature for adults and children, this year exploring the theme 'The Home We Carry'.

MEET THE AUTHOR OF DR DOG ✨Join us and Do Re Mi Books for a special Bookshop Bedtime Stories with Jiro Bevis, creator of...
09/10/2026

MEET THE AUTHOR OF DR DOG ✨

Join us and Do Re Mi Books for a special Bookshop Bedtime Stories with Jiro Bevis, creator of Dr Dog: Snakey's Belly Ache – perfect for young readers who love funny animals and a little chaos. Snuggle up for storytime in a cosy blanket with your free babycino in The Reader Bookshop.

Welcome to Paw Paw Vets in Wooftown, where Dr Dog’s waiting room is full of patients who need his help. Gary the Hippo has bumped his head, Wrinkles the Elephant has hurt her trunk singing, and now Mr Snakey bursts in with a VERY suspicious bulge in his tummy!

Luckily, Dr Dog is an expert. His doctor bag is filled with bandages, tools and chew toys – everything a good dog doctor needs to save the day. But when Snakey’s X-ray is inconclusive, Dr Dog must dig deep for the most ingenious doggy solution to this medical problem!

📅13 November, 5.30pm
📍The Reader Bookshop, Calderstones Park, L18 3JB
🎟️£5 per child (includes a free babycino), adults go free (limited capacity, maximum 1 adult per family)

Book here: https://thereader.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows/1173668344/events/428911750

FIND THE ✨️GOLDEN PUMPKINS✨️ TODAY! 🎃To celebrate the return of Spooky Cinema at Calderstones Park, we've hidden ✨GOLDEN...
09/10/2026

FIND THE ✨️GOLDEN PUMPKINS✨️ TODAY! 🎃

To celebrate the return of Spooky Cinema at Calderstones Park, we've hidden ✨GOLDEN PUMPKINS✨ in local businesses in Liverpool and at our home in Calderstones Park for lucky film fans to find TODAY!

Keep your eyes on our stories for location clues and don't forget to tag us if you find a golden pumpkin 🎃

Let the hunt begin!

Ts&Cs 🧐
👻 One golden pumpkin will have one golden envelope for one winner that includes a pair of tickets to Calderstones Spooky Cinema for a screening of their choice.
👻Winners must claim their prize by Monday 19 October 2026 and will receive details of how to claim in the golden envelope.
👻Tickets cannot be exchanged for other prizes or monetary value.

The Story of One Man, His Drums, John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison. All you need is... PRE:FAB!: The Insid...
06/10/2026

The Story of One Man, His Drums, John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison. All you need is... PRE:FAB!: The Insider Screening

Don't miss this exciting opportunity to meet Colin Hall, custodian for Mendips, John Lennon's childhood home and co-author of PRE:FAB. This captivating memoir that chronicles the early years of Colin Hanton as a member John Lennon’s Quarry Men. This remarkable story is now being adapted into a documentary, and Colin will share exclusive clips alongside behind-the-scenes anecdotes and insights into its making.

Colin Hanton drummed with the band for three years between 1956-1959, during which time both Paul McCartney and George Harrison joined the group. In 1958, Colin played on the very first single that John, Paul and George ever recorded, That'll Be the Day and In Spite Of All The Danger.

Co-written by Colin Hanton and Colin Hall, PRE:FAB! tells the story of these history-in-the-making days. These memories serve as an insight not only into his early musical adventures with John, but also into the social history of wartime and post-war Liverpool.

🗓️Thursday 26 November, 6.30pm
📍The Reader Mansion House, Calderstones Park
🎟️Book tickets at https://thereader.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows/1173693573

Join us for a relaxed stitching social where you can bring your current project or get started from scratch.Whether you’...
05/10/2026

Join us for a relaxed stitching social where you can bring your current project or get started from scratch.

Whether you’re a crochet connoisseur, natural knitter, or just starting out and wanting to meet fellow creatives, this is the perfect, casual space to relax with a hobby and unwind from the day. Beginners are welcome - we’ll have some materials on hand to help you get started. Please note, this is not an instructed class and participants are encouraged to learn from each other.

Enjoy a glass of w**e or a b**r from our café as you stitch, chat, and make new friends.

🗓️Monday 16 November, 6.30pm
📍The Reader Bookshop, Calderstones Park

Book your space at https://thereader.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows/1173672545

03/10/2026

DON'T MISS OUT! Join us under twinkly lights inside our magical heated tent for a hand-picked selection of Halloween family favourites, cinematic masterpieces and literary adaptations. Arrive early and soak up the autumnal atmosphere before the film begins with music, food and drinks ✨🎥🍿

All profits support The Reader’s charitable work transforming lives through literature in Liverpool and beyond.

Book your tickets for Spooky Cinema at thereader.org.uk/cinema2026

No AI was used in the making of this video, Just good old fashioned squirty cream and a keen cat!

Celebrate Halloween at Calderstones Park 🧟🎃🪄From Cosy Pumpkin Carving to the Monsters' Ball - soak up the spooky season ...
02/10/2026

Celebrate Halloween at Calderstones Park 🧟🎃🪄From Cosy Pumpkin Carving to the Monsters' Ball - soak up the spooky season with your little one this October ✨

24 - 29 October
Spooky Cinema

25 - 27 October
Cosy Pumpkin Carving

26 - 30 October
Halloween at the Storybarn

27, 28 & 29 October
Mini Movies: Room on the Broom

31 October
Monsters' Ball

Book your tickets (if you dare) at thereader.org.uk/autumn2026

Address

Calderstones Mansion House, Calderstones Park
Liverpool
L183JB

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 4pm
Tuesday 9am - 4pm
Wednesday 9am - 4pm
Thursday 9am - 4pm
Friday 9am - 4pm
Saturday 9am - 4pm
Sunday 9am - 4pm

Telephone

+441517292200

Website

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