Celebrating read a book day

On 6th September it was Read A Book Day, a national celebration to encourage us to take a break from our busy lives, grab a book and spend the day reading. below is an account of the day by the famous author Victoria Cornwall.

So when I was invited to meet the staff and residents of St.Breock Residential Home in Cornwall, as part of Read A Book Day, I was delighted to accept.

The staff of St.Breock Residential Home were very welcoming and it soon became clear, after chatting to the residents, how varied everyone’s reading tastes were. Magazines, detective novels, historical romantic fiction and historical non-fiction were just some of the genres that were mentioned.

An enjoyable cream tea followed and then I read two short stories, which both received a round of applause! At the end of the visit I was presented with a lovely bouquet of flowers. I had a very enjoyable afternoon thanks to the warm welcome from the staff and residents. Although I brought two stories with me, the residents had stories of their own to share, which included being an evacuee during the war, skinny dipping in the sea as a child and memories of a Cornish romance …

Reading is a great way to escape the stresses of the day, but it also has many other benefits. Reading provides mental stimulation and may slow, or even prevent, Alzheimer’s and dementia. Reading also increases knowledge and improves vocabulary and it can help to improve memory by stimulating the need to recall characters and plot-lines.

However, as one would expect, reading becomes more difficult with age as vision deteriorates, dexterity and concentration decline and books become less accessible. Large print and audio books can help. Fortunately the residents of St.Breock Home are well catered for in this department.

Although Read A Book Day is over, it is never too late to escape the present and lose yourself in a book. Sometimes life gets too busy and this inexpensive pastime gets forgotten. However, reading has a lot of health benefits as well as being fun and relaxing. So treat yourself, grab a book and indulge. You are worth it.

Thank you to the residents for providing their consent for their images to be used in connection with my visit to St.Breock Residential Home.