Sunderland Lit & Phil Discussion: The British Literacy Crisis

The average reading age of Britain is cited as 9-11 years old. But what is behind this statistic? Join the conversation! Sunderland Lit & Phil invites you to join in the conversation as we explore the British Literacy Crisis and discuss with experts what is behind the statistics (the average reading age in Britain is 9- 11 years old). Sunderland Lit & Phil presents: The British Literacy Crisis On the evening of September 17th at Pop Recs, our panel will investigate what is causing this crisis, and what it will take to fix it- but we want to know what you think. Joining Auburn Langley this month on the panel will be Sally Reads- a primary school teacher and book influencer encouraging followers to diversify their Book Club choices. Karen Crear, local author, publisher, and organiser of the North East Indie Book Fest happening on October 3rd. And! Lucy Reeves from the National Literacy Trust. Spoken Word performance by local poet and teacher, Helen Wilko of King Ink Spoken Word. Lucy Reeves I'm Lucy, and I am a project officer working at the National Literacy Trust on the National Year of Reading campaign. During 2026, I have been building connections with organisations across the North East to encourage embedding some reading and literacy focus into their offer. This has involved using the campaign to raise awareness about the literacy crisis and also bring reading back into our priorities. Before this, I worked as a bookseller in Blackwell's and Waterstones in Newcastle and studied Modern Languages. Karen Crear Karen Crear is an author based in County Durham. She is the bestselling author of two memoirs inspired by a remarkable chapter of her life, alongside a growing collection of funny, uplifting women's fiction. Karen firmly believes that maintaining a sense of humour, even through life's toughest moments, is her greatest superpower. Her writing celebrates resilience, friendship and finding laughter in unexpected places. Alongside her husband, she runs Crear Publishing, an independent press dedicated to championing talented writers from the North East and beyond. Through both her writing and publishing, Karen is passionate about supporting local charities and giving back to the community. After all, it's nice to be nice. Sally Reads I'm Sally, an educator, psychologist, linguist and avid reader. I studied Italian and Spanish at the University of Leeds, specialising in foreign literature, before completing a Master's in Psychological Studies at the University of Glasgow and a PGCE at Newcastle University. I now work as a secondary MFL teacher across schools in the North East, teaching French, Italian and Spanish. Through my work in schools, I've seen first-hand the impact that literacy levels can have on children's confidence, communication and ability to access learning. My own relationship with literacy is also a personal one: I grew up in France and moved to the UK as a teenager, and reading played an important role in helping me develop my English and find my feet in a new language. I'm an avid reader across all genres and am fascinated by the ways reading can shape how we understand ourselves, other people and the world around us. Doors open at Pop Recs at 6:30 pm on Thursday, September 17th, with the panel discussion starting at 7 pm, a break at 8 pm, followed by the audience Q&A. At 9 pm, we sojourn to the Bridge Hotel Vaults across the road to honour the old Lit & Phil tradition. Sunderland Lit & Phil CIC is a volunteer-led community organisation creating a living social archive of Sunderland. Tickets are open to everyone; our Members who support us through Patreon tickets are included with membership.