We spoke to Katharina who has been an L2L2R volunteer – both virtually and in school – for four and half years.

“The enthusiasm and energy of children are worth dedicating time and resources towards, early in their school lives. That is what L2L2R delivers. If you are thinking about it, just try it out!”

Katharina first heard about Learn to Love to Read five years ago through the Wandsworth Care Alliance, the local authority’s volunteer brokerage service. Having worked for an international charity for 15 years, she felt she rarely had the chance to get to know the beneficiaries and to see the impact of the charity’s work first hand, so was keen to get involved in her own local community.

She comments: “Working with children has always been close to my heart and L2L2R hit the spot! It is an impressive and dynamic small charity expanding into more and more schools in Wandsworth. They take their work very seriously and approach it with great care, creativity and fun, engaging with children, parents, schools and volunteers.”

Starting her volunteering just after the pandemic in autumn 2021, Katharina began supporting children virtually over Zoom. She was slightly apprehensive about her ability to engage children’s attention via a screen and expected to face a challenge keeping them interested and focused. However, she recalls: “Through excellent training and preparation, L2L2R set up an effective system to make it work.”

She continues: “I am impressed how in a relatively short time L2L2R volunteers seem to catch the interest, trust and enthusiasm of young children and make reading and exploring books fun and fruitful to them.”

Katharina appreciated L2L2R’s training as her own reading support skills came from when her own child was at primary school and she was worried they might be outdated. She found L2L2R’s volunteer training “Comprehensive and well delivered,” and has also valued the ongoing support and advice the charity offers. She says: “When individual help is needed, the L2L2R team is keen to help with and answer any questions.”

Reflecting on her impact as a volunteer, Katharina recalls one child she read with who may have been disruptive in the classroom, but she soon found they were quick to learn and really benefited from the extra one-to-one time she could offer. “They really blossomed within a few weeks,” she remembers. Over time, she saw an obvious improvement in the child’s reading skills and ability to concentrate which “gave me huge satisfaction.”

After three years of supporting children online, Katharina decided to take on an additional role volunteering in one of L2L2R’s partner schools, so now she supports children in both ways each week.

She concludes: “It is a wonderful feeling, being able to contribute to a child’s development! I have met lots of wonderful co-volunteers of all ages as well. L2L2R makes a big effort to keep on track and look after volunteers with coffee mornings, training sessions and a fun variety of fundraising events. This makes me feel part of a growing dedicated team, here in the heart of Wandsworth.”