WRVS volunteers helped to make the Bookbite project a great success earlier this year, with over 200,000 older people across England getting involved (see News, 1 February 2010). As a result of this success, the reading charity Booktrust is about to launch a second edition of the Bookbite magazine for summer. 

Encouraging people over 60 to enjoy reading and creative writing, WRVS is partnering again with Booktrust to deliver 23,000 copies of the magazine into the homes of WRVS volunteers.

With such a positive response to the first edition, Booktrust received further funding from the Government’s Transformation Fund to produce a second issue. This has not cost WRVS a penny.

All WRVS volunteers living in England will receive a copy of this second edition which features a short story from crime writer Ian Rankin, poetry from John Agard, competitions, writing tips, book recommendations and much more.

Booktrust hopes that people receiving the magazine will feel inspired to share it with the people they meet as a WRVS volunteer – perhaps entering the poetry competition to win book tokens, or completing Bookbite brain teasers together. The magazine includes a feature on the wonderful work that WRVS does to support older people too.

The Bookbite magazine is also being distributed through libraries, UK online centres and other voluntary organisations. There is also a Bookbite website – www.bookbite.org.uk – which includes many more stories, poems and how-to guides together with a Bookbite reading group and writing club which all people over 60 are welcome to join.  If you are not lucky enough to get a printed copy of the magazine then it is available to download from the website.

WRVS and Booktrust are grateful to everyone who helped to make the Bookbite project such an enormous success the first time around.

If you are a member of the press and have a media enquiry or would like to speak with a WRVS representative, please contact Ruth Taylor on 07714 898574.  For all other enquiries please contact us.