The Royal Literary Fund (RLF), the world’s oldest literary charity, today announced a host of initiatives as part of the National Year of Reading including an expanded Reading Round programme for adults and a new programme of events in libraries.

The RLF’S Reading Round is a reading group with a difference; a community-focussed programme that centres the experience of reading, listening to, and discussing stories and poetry in a relaxed, inclusive and supportive environment. Running since 2013 and hosted in a variety of settings including theatres, community centres, churches and arts venues across the UK, the new initiatives will see Reading Round expanded across libraries and NHS settings including recovery colleges and hospices, and offered in prisons for the first time, in collaboration with the National Literacy Trust.

The benefits of reading in community are profound, with the simplicity of the Reading Round format part of its success. The State of the Nation’s Adult Reading Report 2025 (The Reading Agency) found regular readers were 86% more likely to report a sense of belonging to their community, 58% more likely to report feeling generally happy and 35% more likely to say they don’t feel lonely and the Reading Round experience, led by trained RLF Fellows, including acclaimed poets, playwrights, novelists and biographers, creates that sense of connection by bringing readers together with the opportunity to grow in confidence in an atmosphere of trust.

Katharine McMahon, Director, Workplace and Community for the RLF says:
‘As adults we often forget the sheer joy of reading stories and poems aloud and talking about them with other people. For a dozen years, Reading Round has connected people across the country through cultivating a pleasure in great literature – and in this National Year of Reading, I’m delighted that the RLF is committed to training and supporting writers to share the fairy dust with adults in ever more diverse communities and settings.

Writer Syd Moore, who piloted Reading Round with Havens Hospices, which provides care and support to adults living with incurable conditions and their families in Essex, says:
‘When palliative patients receive their diagnosis their world shrinks. The Reading Round works so well because it makes few demands: participants don’t have to use their hands, arms or legs. Group members are able to contribute at their own pace in a calm environment where each comment is heard, respected, valued, and responded to. Because we focus on the text, members of the group feel safe and ‘held’, the conversations are immediate and engaging. The first time I delivered a Reading Round at Fair Havens one of the members remarked, ‘it’s the only time in my week when I don’t think about cancer.’

As we move through the course, something genuinely magical happens. Other writers, who come to observe me, are often surprised by how much laughter there is. Of course there are disagreements too, lots of reflection, and, perhaps most importantly, a deepening sense of empathy. What emerges from these sessions is not just discussion, but a profound sense of human connection and fellowship.

It’s a timely reminder that meaning is something we make together. When we do this, in Reading Round sessions, in our small but very significant ways, we find ourselves restored, fuller and more alive. I have seen huge benefits in patients’ wellbeing, along with noticeable increases in self-esteem and confidence. It’s a joy – the most meaningful and worthwhile work I’ve ever done in my life.’

Hospice and Recovery College Reading Round groups will be expanded across the UK with new settings confirmed in Norwich, Eastbourne, Southend, Newport, and Dungannon (Northern Ireland) and planned groups in Dundee, Hastings, Northampton, Ipswich, London, Brighton and Kent.

Christine Harris, Supportive Therapies Lead at Havens Hospices, says,
‘Reading Round gives the people we care for the chance to focus on something other than their incurable condition. Distraction is a recognised and valuable part of supportive therapy — it reduces anxiety, lifts mood, and helps people feel more like themselves. Having that space to engage with literature, share their thoughts and connect with others, delivers all of those benefits. Programmes like this are also a reminder that hospice care isn’t only for the end of life — we are here to support people to live well throughout their life’s journey. We’re grateful to the Royal Literary Fund for funding the programme and to Syd for her expertise and for bringing the sessions to life.’

Prison settings confirmed to date include HMP Leeds, HMP Liverpool, HMP East Sutton Park, HMP Brixton and HMP Bristol with more to come across the UK.

Jo Smart, Head of Education, Skills and Work at HMP Leeds says:
‘The most rewarding thing is seeing prisoners’ literacy improve to a point where they’re reading for pleasure as well as to learn – author visits are an enabler for igniting a passion to develop creative writing and reading skills.’

RLF writer and group leader, Clare Shaw, who will be running a Reading Round group at HMP Leeds says:
‘I’m so excited to be running the Reading Round at HMP Leeds. We all know that reading can make our lives richer and happier – and my last Reading Round showed me that in places of hardship and times of struggle, the impact of literature can be life-changing, even live-saving.’

Rebecca Perry, Head of Adult Literacy and Criminal Justice, NLT says:
‘We’re proud to partner with the Royal Literary Fund during the National Year of Reading, bringing their Reading Round project to prisons across the UK. At a time when access to education and enrichment opportunities in custodial settings is at an all-time low, projects like Reading Round can be a real haven, offering participants a place to explore the magic of reading and feel connected to the outside world.’

Libraries are also the focus of enhanced RLF activity with a series of free Collected Live panel events across the UK. These events, named after the RLF’s fortnightly podcast ‘Collected’ which is also devoting airtime to reading-specific themes to highlight the National Year of Reading, features writers celebrating books and the writing life. Additional Reading Round library sessions will also run in nine regions of England from September including Liverpool, Morpeth, Leeds, Leicester, Stourbridge, Upper Norwood, Bath and Willingdon. Writers taking part include poet and playwright Testament, children’s author Jasbinder Bilan and crime writer, Louise Millar.

Special one-off sessions of Reading Round will mark the Reading Agency’s annual Book Club Day on Friday 11 September. These sessions will take place in Inverness library, Dunoon library, Alloa Speirs Centre Library, Larbert Library, Coatbridge Library, Paisley Central Library, Carnegie Library, Ayr and five libraries across Edinburgh including Granton, Muirhouse, Portobello, Stockbridge and Wester Hailes library.

Edward Kemp, RLF Chief Executive says:
‘The pleasure to be found in reading is life-changing, not just for children but for adults too, and to do it in community can make it all the more profound. In this National Year of Reading, we want to focus our attention on the joy of reading for everyone, so I am delighted that our Reading Round programme is being expanded to even more diverse settings across the UK. Reading together creates community and connection, empathy and hope, and as the world’s oldest literary charity, the RLF is proud to be partnering with the National Literacy Trust and organisations like Havens Hospices, to ensure greater access to reading opportunities for all.’