World Book Night is a national celebration of reading and books which takes place on 23 April every year.
Books are given out across the UK with a focus on reaching those who don’t regularly read.
This year residents of Oxfordshire Mind’s Supported Housing units will be receiving copies of The Recovery Letters. William Lazenby, Housing Manager, said:
“I’m really pleased that once again Oxfordshire Mind Housing are working with the Reading Agency to promote World Book night. Reading can have a positive impact on mental wellbeing as it allows the reader to explore and connect with ideas and viewpoints raised, while hopefully learning something about themselves and how they view and interact with the world. Books can also provide a release from the day-to-day routine of life and be a good way of distracting or focusing the busy mind.
This year we’ve been donated copies of the Recovery Letters (edited by James Withey and Olivia Sagan) to distribute to all our residents. This is a book of letters addressed to people experiencing depression from those who have been there and lived through/with it. The letters explore personal experiences as well as offering some ideas as to what has helped the writers in their own lives and might help others too. It’s a book that people can dip in and out of as needed in life, take what they want from and that we hope our residents will find relevant to their own experience and find helpful.
As part of World Book Night we have various events planned across our housing projects including shared readings aloud, group discussions of the letters, as well as the opportunity to explore creativity through resident’s own writing or art.”
World Book Night is run by The Reading Agency, a national charity that inspires people to become confident and enthusiastic readers.