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Transport for London takes on the Challenge
7 April 2010
Learning Zone tutor Christine Brathwaite is running the Challenge for the second year running with Transport for London employees. Bob Cann, Performance Improvement Assessor with London Underground, is an enthusiastic participant.
"A few years ago I found reading very difficult," explains Bob. "I couldn't concentrate for a long length of time on things that were not geared towards my job. My attention span was not good, and I also found writing reports and letters related to my work difficult. So I decided to do an e-learning grammar course through work.
"Whilst doing the course, someone from Westminster Libraries came to give us a talk about the Six Book Challenge, and how we could get books from libraries in Westminster or our local library. I wasn't a member of my local library, and the only things I was reading at that time were work-related: I certainly wasn't reading for pleasure. So when I heard about the Six Book Challenge I felt a bit nervous at first. But I have a long journey to and from work, so I thought to myself that I could try and use that time to read.
"I am a film and music buff, so I started off reading autobiographies of people I was interested in - actors like Jack Hawkins, Kenneth More and John Wayne. I found I did enjoy this sort of reading. Then I got into science fiction and Arthur C Clarke, and then horror and Stephen King... I have found that I'm reading bigger and "heavier" books now.
"With the Six Book Challenge, the incentives we've had on offer in our workplace, things like free coffee or cinema tickets, have helped to encourage some of my colleagues back into reading. And there's also the sense of having something to aim for, of having achieved something when you have completed the Challenge.
"The Six Book Challenge is something we talk about at work. If I go into the kitchen and see someone reading when they are on a break I'll ask them about what they are reading, and we will chat to each other about our current books. For anyone thinking about starting the Six Book Challenge but perhaps feeling a bit nervous, I'd say "start small", reading things like a newspaper article or a short story, and build up from that. It will give you more confidence, and it will encourage you.
"This will be my second year of reading books on a regular basis thanks to the Six Book Challenge. Now I regularly read at least two books a month and find it very enjoyable. I've finished my e-learning grammar course and thanks to that and the Challenge I have more confidence in things like my report writing - I can express things better and put phrases together better."