Following a successful tenth anniversary last year, The Reader Organisation’s Penny Readings will make its triumphant return to the grandeur of St George’s Hall on Sunday 21st December.
This year’s event is a sell-out, attracting many of The Reader Organisations group members as well as the general public, bringing people together to enjoy an evening of festive entertainment. Once again we are able to offer the event at its traditional price of a penny due to the sponsorship of The Big Lottery Project and Publiship, a specialist logistics provider, dedicated to the printing and publishing industry.
Joining the line-up for a second year are Bollywood dance duo RuShee, and the Wirral Ukulele Orchestra which boasts 20+ members. Rachel Duffy and Terry Formby, Big Lottery Project Volunteers will be sharing a poem as they take to the Penny Readings stage for the first time and one of our Volunteer Assistants, Christopher Lynn will be indulging the audience in some classical guitar.
After leaving readers with a cliff hanger at the close of Chapter 5, award winning author Frank Cottrell Boyce will be reading the concluding part of ‘The Menlove Treasure’ via video at this year’s Ha’Penny Readings and will then be making an appearance in person at The Penny Readings later in the day. The tale, a free online serial penned by Cottrell Boyce for the City of Readers ‘Give us 5’ campaign, focuses the story’s protagonist, Rylan Berry on a school trip to Calderstones Park in this exciting time hopping adventure.
We have additional readings from Megg Hewlett Reader in Residence at HMP Wormwood Scrubs with a snippet from ‘Great Expectations’. The night will conclude with an extract from another Dickens novel, the quintessentially festive classic, ‘A Christmas Carol’ read by Professor Phil Davis.
The Ha’Penny Readings will be taking place earlier in the day from 2.30pm, with Michelle Barrett and Meera Bala reading ‘Mafia Cats’ and ‘Christmas Pudding’ to entertain the little ones. Tickets are still available for the Ha’Penny Readings; tickets are limited to 4 per person and can be purchased online from our Eventbrite page. The Penny Readings starts at 6.30pm on Sunday 21st December.
