Project Launch September 2025
Still Reading: Connecting Through Story, Memory, and Shared Experience
Still Reading, a new cross-border initiative exploring shared reading with and for people living with dementia, was launched at Omagh Fire Station Community Hub in September 2025. Supported by a Small Event Grant from the British Society of Gerontology (BSG), the day brought together partners, and trainees for an inspiring celebration of reading, creativity, and community.
Reading Together, Across Borders
Still Reading is led by Dr Jane Lugea (Queen’s University Belfast) and Dr Clara Neary (Atlantic Technological University / Queen’s University Belfast). The idea grew from an earlier AHRC-funded research project, Dementia in the Minds of Characters and Readers, which explored how reading fiction about dementia might shape awareness and understanding in readers.
In that earlier work, Jane ran reading groups with both members people living with dementia. Working closely with Dementia NI and following DEEP (Dementia Engagement and Empowerment Project) guidelines, an inclusive method for facilitating shared reading was developed. This led to a powerful discovery: readers with dementia expressed real joy in rediscovering literature and the stimulating conversation that came with it.
A Day of Conversation and Connection
The Still Reading launch event on 26th September 2025 brought that approach to life. The day began with tea, coffee, and plenty of chatter before participants settled in for a shared reading session led by Jane and Clara and joined by members of Dementia NI. The group read and discussed short literary texts, pausing often to reflect, share memories, and laugh together.
Later, the participants connected via Zoom with Michael Prior from The Reader, whose insights into The Reader’s long-running shared reading programme offered both inspiration and practical ideas. The conversation with Michael was lively and moving; participants shared experiences that were at times eye-opening, at times deeply human, and always grounded in empathy.
Jane and Clara also spoke about their experiences of running previous reading groups and how these have shaped the Still Reading approach.
Looking Ahead
The group spent the afternoon planning the next steps for autumn reading groups, in-person training sessions, and a 2026 symposium that will bring together academics, practitioners, and people with lived experience to share learning from the project.
As the event drew to a close, participants reflected on what the day had meant to them — a chance to reconnect with stories, make new friends, and contribute to research that places people with dementia at its centre.
Acknowledgements
The Still Reading project is led by Dr Jane Lugea (Queen’s University Belfast) and Dr Clara Neary (Atlantic Technological University / Queen’s University Belfast). This event was supported by the British Society of Gerontology’s Small Events Grant scheme. The views expressed here are those of the authors and participants and do not necessarily represent the views of the BSG.
For more information about the project, please visit https://blogs.qub.ac.uk/stillreading/. To learn more about the British Society of Gerontology, visit https://www.britishgerontology.org