Bestselling author’s reading programme finds new audience in North Devon

A scheme inspired by a bestselling author is inspiring people across North Devon to discover – or re-discover – the joys of reading.

Reading for Wellbeing was created by Ann Cleeves, best known for the hit detective shows ‘Vera’ and ‘Shetland’, as well as writing the book-turned-TV series ‘The Long Call’, which was set and filmed in North Devon.

After successfully launching in the North East, Reading for Wellbeing is now being expanded across North Devon, overseen by The Woodyard, another community project inspired by Ann Cleeves’ work and hosted by North Devon Voluntary Services (NDVS).

Kayleigh Pullin-Rogers, who is leading the scheme in North Devon, explained: “I do a monthly theme, and I gather books for that theme, and newspapers, magazines, comics, as well as different kinds of genres of books, and then I take them to different spaces. The purpose of it is to talk to people about how they read, and the different ways they can access things, but it also starts a conversation up between everybody in that group as well.”

Currently, there is a drop-in session at Barnstaple Library on the first Monday of each month. Kayleigh also runs regular sessions with Sunrise Diversity at the Yes Centre in Barnstaple, and also with the military wives’ group at RMB Chivenor.

For those taking part, the groups enable like-minded people who may struggle with anxiety, loneliness, or mental health issues, to form connections in a safe space, which they may find difficult in busier, more chaotic groups,

Kayleigh added: “It's a conversation, and having a safe space to be able to voice an opinion about what you read and how you read it, what you find interesting and what you would like to find out more about. I think it's more about bringing everybody together and having a mutual topic to talk about. I make sure that each theme is quite broad.”

Ann Cleeves founded Reading for Wellbeing to mark the 21st anniversary of her North East detective character ‘Vera Stanhope’, in recognition of the solace she had found in stories throughout her life. By early 2023, the project had been adopted in six North East local authorities, employing a total of nine community reading workers.

North Devon is the first region outside the North East to pick the scheme up, and Ann Cleeves explained to the North Devon Gazette how it first came about: “I was asked to give a speech at a health inequalities conference here in the North East. I explained that reading always got me

through tough times - when I had cancer as a young woman and when I was caring for my husband. I suspected that other people might find it helpful too.

“Our first year was evaluated and found that participants with some mental health problems, chronic pain or who suffered from loneliness or isolation, very much appreciated the escape that reading provided, and the social contact and support of the reading groups.”

The author has strong connections to North Devon, having spent a lot of time here when she was younger, and was particularly pleased to see Reading for Wellbeing now taking off here. She said: “It's fantastic! We do have a couple of offshoots now away from the North East where most of our work takes place, but the project in North Devon is the most dynamic. I'm especially delighted that the workers are part of The Woodyard, a community hub named after the community arts' centre in my ‘Matthew Venn’ books.”

Ann Cleeves is clear about the scheme’s benefits: “Reading for Wellbeing is partnered with The Queen's Reading Room, a charity founded by Her Majesty to promote reading for pleasure. They've commissioned neurological research which found changes in the brain and physical benefits - like the lowering of blood pressure - can take place after just five minutes of escaping into a book.

“But the benefits are much wider than that. Reading helps us see the world through different eyes and makes us more understanding of different views

“This is the National Year of Reading, so of course we'd hope that other regions will join us to celebrate the joys to be found in books.

The National Year of Reading is a UK-wide campaign designed to help more people rediscover the joy of reading. A Department for Education initiative, in collaboration with the National Literacy Trust, the campaign aims to tackle the profound decline in reading enjoyment in the UK and reconnect people of all ages with reading as a relevant and immediately rewarding activity.

The campaign asks the nation to ‘Go All In’ on their passions and interests for 2026 and discover how reading can unlock the things they already love.

You can find out more about Reading for Wellbeing at https://thewoodyard.org.uk/reading-for-wellbeing/