Following a fantastic morning in October 2023 celebrating National Poetry Day, Nourish Hub’s Book Club was born. Thanks to contact made by Lucy Anderson, Social Impact Manager at Penguin Random House, Nourish Hub were inspired to start their own book club. The initial response from the community was so positive and inspiring that the call from Penguin couldn’t have been more exciting, or timely.

Penguin has continued to support the monthly Book Club, which is now celebrating its first birthday. Through their generous and thoughtful book donations, including ‘Lessons in Chemistry’, ‘The Poetry Pharmacy Forever’ and ‘Girl, Woman, Other’, Andreea, deputy hub manager and the team have created a welcoming space for the members to come together, support one another and discuss their most recent read in the knowledge that they are all benefitting from their shared love of reading.

‘The main thing for me is that I have started reading again and realise how much I missed looking into other worlds, through the eyes of others’ shared Maisie, one of the regular Book Club members.

Thanks to the team at Penguin, Nourish Hub have been able to create a club which brings members together through their love of reading. Lucy, from Penguin, has shared that “Our collaboration began as part of our celebrations for National Poetry Day in October 2023, when we donated books and sent our volunteers to participate in book clubs at local community projects across London. Our volunteers thoroughly enjoyed being part of the first Book Club, and it’s been wonderful to see the initiative grow and develop since then. By donating our books, we aim to foster a love for reading and provide a platform for meaningful connections. We are proud to support community projects that not only celebrate the joy of reading but also bring people together in such a profound way.”

As the Book Club enters its second year, Andreea, Deputy Manager at Nourish Hub has said ‘The Book Club has been such an exciting project! It is a wonderful way to expand our literary horizons as we are all exposed to new genres and books, based on the recommendations of the Book Club regulars or our friends at Penguin. The main goals are to promote regular reading habits, to enhance members’ understanding and appreciation of literature, but most importantly to foster a sense of community. I love how the participants have established connections, how they cherish having this opportunity to step outside of their lives to discuss topics that (sometimes) do not relate to them and how they find inspiration in the discussion and appreciation of the authors.’

Gill joined the Book Club just after Christmas last year and said ‘Within the group we all have very different responses to the material which makes for lively discussion. It has been interesting being disparate people becoming a group.’

We’re all excited to see what titles come up in the coming months and hope to continue to work with Penguin and their team long into the future.