Winner of Kingston-led scheme rubs shoulders with David Tennant

Reading Force winner Chloe Armstrong with David Tennant at a recording for Strathmore

Chloe Armstrong of The Connaught School, Aldershot, was a winner in the seminal Reading Force campaign organised within the Aldershot area in 2011.

Reading Force aims to link Forces families separated by postings and associated training through reading the same book, and families taking part were given scrapbooks in which to share and record their thoughts. Completed scrapbooks were then submitted to Kingston University for feedback and the awarding of prizes. Chloe’s prize was to attend the recording by David Tennant for Penguin Books on behalf of the Ian Fleming estate, this kindly arranged by audio publishers Strathmore, who also created the scrapbooks.

David Tennant at the recording for Penguin publishers organised by Strathmore

Gerald Howarth, MP for Aldershot, and Minister for International Security Strategy, described Reading Force as ‘a wonderful and practical way of keeping families in touch.’ The initial scheme, devised and run by Alison Baverstock, Course Leader for Kingston’s MA Publishing and Hattie Gordon, former MA Publishing student, has just been awarded funding by the MOD’s Directorate for Children and Young People and next year will expand into Hampshire, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire. The initial team will be joined by Cathy Schofield, director of World Book Day 2000 – 2011 and a member of the Kingston Publishing MA Advisory Board.

Dame Jacqueline Wilson said of the scheme,

‘I think Reading Force is a great idea – a brilliant way of uniting families and sharing the joys of reading.’

You can find out more about the scheme on the Reading Force website.