Patron of Reading Regeneration

This week we should have been hosting an event to mark the changeover of the role of Patron of reading (POR) currently held by Julian Sedgwick to our new POR Steve Cole. Sadly, the current circumstances have prevented the real-time event from happening – but only for the time being. We are determined to have an event as soon as we can, during which there will be a literal handover of the very same baton that our first POR, Gillian Cross, handed to Julian in 2017. Then we will be able to properly celebrate Julian’s three years in the role and extend a warm welcome to Steve.

Julian’s close affinity with Leighton Park has undoubtedly resulted from his Quaker background and on more than one occasion he has devised sessions for us reflecting his own interest in Quakerism. Most notably, the talk and writing workshops for Year 9 during Quaker Schools Week in 2017, which were inspired by his visit to La Coume, a Quaker safe house for refugees in the Pyrenees. The students’ resulting writing paid testimony to the inspiration and practical guidance that a visiting author like Julian can impart. During a Book Week event in 2018, Julian talked about his upcoming book Voyages in the Underworld of Orpheus Black, co-authored with his brother Marcus, which features a young conscientious objector and his soldier brother. The book was published in 2019 and is currently short-listed for the prestigious Carnegie Award!

One of the main aims of the POR role is to promote and encourage reading for pleasure, and throughout Julian’s time at Leighton Park, he has enthralled his young audiences with stories inspired by his love of the circus and China, culminating in breath-taking knife-throwing tricks and juggling. But the name Patron of reading is misleading, as Julian’s visits have always included writing workshops, and most famously featuring Haiku poetry and ghost stories. During these sessions Julian moved around the classroom offering encouragement and tips to individual students – some of whom didn’t believe they were capable of writing anything but who often ended up producing some of the best work of the class.

Like Gillian before him, Julian enjoyed receiving and helping to judge the entries submitted by new Year 7 for our annual Summer Challenge, which included designs for and writing about riverboats, board games and tree houses. Judging the entries from our incoming Year 7 will be the first task for Steve Cole as our new Patron of reading and this year’s theme will be revealed in July!

I invited Steve to be our next POR after his visit in March 2019, during which he entertained and inspired a hall full of excited Year 5 pupils from local schools, followed by a wide-ranging conversation over lunch with our Senior Book Club members and a final James Bond themed talk to Fryer students. It suddenly dawned on me that Steve would make a perfect successor to Julian and I was delighted when he accepted our invitation!

I’m all for trying something different with each POR and in the case of Steve, whose publications span a wide age interest, we are hoping to take him into some of our local primary schools as part of our Outreach programme, in addition to the established programme of talks and workshops for Leighton Park’s students. We are looking forward to hearing about the research involved in Steve’s latest books (Tin Boy and World Burns Down) both of which focus on environmental issues, plus some other ‘top secret’ plans that are currently being discussed.

Although Julian is stepping down from the role of POR, we are delighted that he will be returning during the next academic year to launch his new book Tsunami Girl, set at the time of Japan’s devastating tsunami and earthquake of 2011.

Julian writes:

“Being Patron of Reading at Leighton Park has been one of the absolute highlights of my career. Already knowing and valuing the school’s ethos – and being the offspring of Quaker parents – I leapt at the chance when Chris offered me the role. Since then I’ve loved meeting the students, and thoroughly enjoyed their creative input. Amongst other things we’ve: written letters from a real wartime Quaker refuge in the Pyrenees; created and flown a haiku blossom storm; imagined mini Japanese ghost dramas and dreamed up dozens of new characters for possible stories. It has been a joy. Best wishes to everyone, and to Steve picking up the baton virtually.”

Below you can watch the film made by Julian and Steve which was shown during a whole school Collect by way of an announcement about our new POR and a virtual regeneration.

Steve writes:

“It’s been 23 years since my first books were published and, 175+ titles later, I am delighted to become a Patron of Reading for the first time – and for such a wonderful school as Leighton Park! I can’t wait to share my passion and experience with the students and to get building worlds together over the next two years. Julian’s will be big shoes to fill but rather like Doctor Who on television, anything can happen after a regeneration… and together, we’ll have a blast exploring a universe of stories together!”

Many heartfelt thanks to Julian and a warm Leighton Park welcome to Steve!!

Chris Routh, Librarian (May 2020)