The Reader Organisation, working in partnership with the University of Liverpool, NHS Wirral, Mersey Care NHS Trust and Liverpool PCT, is planning New Beginnings, our first national Get Into Reading Conference, which will share findings and best practice from our innovative reader development and social outreach programme. New Beginnings features as part of the opening weekend of Liverpool’s Year of Health and Wellbeing.
Accredited facilitators, researchers from medical and humanities backgrounds, individuals who want to know more, readers,librarians, mental health workers, authors, commissioners, GPs, funders and partner organisations: all interested parties are invited 
and there will be plenty of opportunity for informal and regional networking.
Joining us for the Get Into Reading Conference will be:
- Susan Blishen, manager of Right Here, a collaboration between Paul Hamlyn Foundation and the Mental Health Foundation; and the first to fund GIR
- Dr Jane Davis, Director of The Reader Organisation and Founder of Get Into Reading
- Kathy Doran, Chief Executive, NHS Wirral
- Dr David Fearnley, Psychiatrist of the Year, Medical Director and Deputy Chief of Mersey Care NHS Trust; Dave has introduced the GIR model into a high secure psychiatric unit at Ashworth
- Blake Morrison, author, poet and journalist, Chair of The Reader Organisation
- Stuart Smith, Executive Director for Children's Services, Liverpool City Council
- Alan Yates, Chief Executive, Mersey Care NHS Trust
The day will consist of panel discussions, Q&A sessions, a showcase of Get Into Reading from facilitators across the country, plus a morning and an afternoon workshop.
New Beginnings Conference Workshop Options
Please choose a first and second choice for the morning and the afternoon workshop.
Download a booking form, with information on all the workshops here (Word/PDF).
Email Claire Speer, Conference Administrator, if you have any queries: clairespeer@thereader.org.uk