Meet Karen

Karen Royle-Cross, a passionate Bookmark volunteer from Manchester, joined the online reading programme in 2021.

Combining her role as a Senior Delivery Support Executive at Bookmark with her volunteering, Karen supports children in Years 1 to 5 who are at risk of not meeting the expected standard for reading.

The Bookmark programme involves two 30-minute sessions each week and it offers children the choice of thousands of books, games and activities to read and play, providing an exciting route to improving reading skills.

Karen sees her reading sessions as the highlight of her day, adding ‘I can definitely attest to them being the perfect mood booster!’

Karen and Jess: a reading partnership

In her most recent pairing, Karen has supported Jess who was put forward for the programme by her teacher to improve both comprehension and communication skills, and to give her the opportunity for shared reading. Karen and Jess did 32 sessions together over three programmes.

Jess is seven years old and in Year 3 at a Bookmark partner school. Karen described her as ‘fun, chatty and daring’, she wants to be a BMX rider when she’s older and her favourite book is Bunny vs Monkey by Jamie Smart.

At the start of the programme, Karen observed that ‘Jess was unsure of what she liked to read, so it was great to offer the Bookmark library of books for her to choose from. She also struggled at first with trying new words and seemed very concerned with getting things wrong.’

Jess took some time to become enthusiastic about reading books with Karen, however she ‘was very happy when we got to do games at the end’.

All of the Bookmark games volunteers lead with pupils are literacy based, so Karen could support Jess with her reading practice, while having fun at the same time. Applying a creative approach to learning took the pressure off Jess and really helped her to develop reading confidence.

Memorable moments

Volunteers often experience special moments during the programme, and Karen is no exception with her own fond memories of reading with Jess.

Jess’ teacher emailed after one of the reading programmes to share some positive feedback. Her teacher said that Jess was so proud of her Bookmark certificate and that when her Grandma came to pick her up and saw it, she said ‘Oh, so this is what you keep talking about?!’’.

Karen went on to say, ‘this made me realise that Jess was obviously sharing her excitement about her reading sessions with her family, which was lovely to hear!’

Top tip for other volunteers

Karen kept a list of all the new words Jess had learnt throughout, and in the last session they revisited them. Jess was so proud of herself when she realised how many new words she now knew.

It’s a fantastic way to help a child to look back on their achievements and it is very simple to do.

5 reasons to enjoy volunteering with Bookmark

We asked Karen to share the top five reasons she enjoys giving her time to supporting primary school children and their reading skills.

Making a real impact: Karen is deeply moved by the significant influence just one hour a week can have on a child’s academic and personal growth.
Boosting confidence: Witnessing the transformation in children like Jess, who initially struggled but eventually flourished, is incredibly rewarding.
Supporting through fun: Karen enjoys offering a variety of books and games, making learning enjoyable and less intimidating for children.
Personal fulfilment: The reading sessions are not only the highlight of Karen’s day but also fantastic for her wellbeing, reinforcing her commitment to volunteering.
Community connection: The feedback from teachers and families, like the proud moment shared by Jess’s grandmother, underscores the community-wide benefits of her volunteer work.

Discover our volunteering opportunities

“All grown-ups were once children…but only few of them remember it.” The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Are you ready to help a primary school child to create joyful memories of reading books?

Discover more about our volunteer programme at one of our upcoming online information sessions

Volunteer spotlight: Igniting the joy of reading with Karen