THE Duchess of Cornwall has become a patron of Silver Stories, a charity that encourages school children to read to the elderly.

To mark the occasion, Camilla, who was at Clarence House, listened to two Silver Readers over the telephone from their school in Cornwall.

Brother and sister Ollie, 11, and Tegen, 10, chose to read from Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and The Ice Monster by David Walliams.

Silver Stories was created in 2016 by retired Torpoint headteacher Elisabeth Carney-Haworth and her husband, retired police sergeant David Carney-Haworth, in response to concerns about the loneliness felt by older people, and with a desire to develop the love of reading in children.

During term time the children read to the ’Silver Listeners’ once a week for around five minutes. It boosts confidence, fluency and expression in the children’s reading as well as creating a lasting positive relationship between the young person and their older listener.

The Duchess had an opportunity to chat with the children about being Silver Readers. Ollie said that he used to read very quickly but since being a Silver Reader he has stopped doing that. Her Royal Highness confided with the children: “I used to read very, very fast. When I made a speech, I used to talk very, very fast and then you have to take a deep breath and slow down and look at the commas and full stops.”

In conversation with the youngsters about the Silver Listeners, she said: “When you are sitting by yourself you get a bit lonely, don’t you? But it must be so cheering for them to hear your voice reading these lovely stories and I think you are doing an absolutely brilliant job”

The charity, which covers Cornwall, Wales, and parts of England, currently has eight schools involved in the initiative who read to 43 listeners: there are also 42 readers who read from their homes to Silver Listeners.

Co-founder of the charity Elisabeth Carney-Haworth said: "From our work, David and I were both acutely aware of the loneliness of some older people. As a teacher I was also aware that I wanted to give my children a broader and richer reading experience - not just reading to a teacher, a teaching assistant or a parent, but to read with a real purpose and to someone who won’t judge them. And Silver Stories really is magical, it’s very special to hear a child become immersed in a tale and blossom as a storyteller.”

The charity says it has many wonderful testimonies from Silver Listeners, from parents whose children are Silver Readers, and from schools who are taking part:

One older person said: “He’s a lovely young man. I am blind, so phone calls work really well and especially through winter it was great to have that contact and with a young person.”

Another said :“I love it. He’s a lovely boy. He’s so polite. I love listening to him. He’s been ringing for three months. I can’t see my own great grandchildren so this has been a great new connection. I can feel his confidence increasing with his reading, he does sound effects. I sit down ready at 10am on a Saturday really excited.”

The Carney-Howarths were named ‘Points of Light’ by Prime Minister Boris Johnson in 2020, as part of a programme which highlights the enormous array of innovative and inspirational volunteering across the length and breadth of Britain.