My Work as a Coram Beanstalk Author  

Coram Beanstalk recruit, train and support volunteers to provide consistent, one-to-one reading support to children aged 3-13 who need their help. Their reading helpers give them the support they need to improve their reading skills, reading ability and confidence. They also provide training to people within the school community who want to help children learn to read for pleasure whilst improving their reading skills. 

As a Coram Beanstalk Author I hold fundraisers, school events and publicise their work through social media. 

Volunteers joined me at the Waterstones Piccadilly launch of The Queen's Present where I sold a limited number of prints in aid of the charity. Great British Bake Off winner Frances Quinn baked a festive cake and Beanstalk biscuits for the occasion. 

The following Christmas, Coram Beanstalk featured art from The Queen's Present on their gift cards. Just £60 from card sales could provide an entire terms worth of reading support.

Coram Beanstalk run a free literacy festival: Coram Beanstalk BookFest. Each year the charity exclusively invites schools it works with to take part in inspiring and interactive workshops, which are supported by authors and illustrators. In 2018, I kicked off the festival at East Wichel Primary School in Swindon (pictured below). 

East Wichel Primary School, Swindon

Reading can truly build bridges, open doors and instil confidence. The Coram Beanstalk staff and volunteers are making such a positive impact to the lives of so many children, and I’m delighted that they’ve branched out to my hometown, Swindon.

In Feb 2020 I held a fundraiser as part of my launch for We Love You, Mr Panda, raising £300 for the charity within 1.5 hours. There was a raffle to win one of several prizes including a Mr Panda cake by acclaimed cake artist Leandra Lucas and an original drawing of Mr Panda. Below is a gallery of photos from the event, taken by Terry Bassett.


For more information on Coram Beanstalk, including how to support their work, please visit www.beanstalkcharity.org.uk