• RLF News
• Article

A royal literary experience

In July, 15-year-old student Amelie Castellvi-Smith joined us for work experience during one of the RLF’s most highly-anticipated weeks of the year – our long-planned visit to Ashdown Forest, which saw our Patron, Her Majesty The Queen, join us to celebrate 100 years of Winnie-the-Pooh and author AA Milne.

(Left) Amelie Castellvi Smith with Richard Le Cocq, the RLF’s Director of Marketing and Communications, in Ashdown Forest and (right) with some of our RLF merchandise.

Amelie tells us more:

Undertaking Work Experience at the Royal Literary Fund has been an incredible journey. I have learnt more about the literary industry, charitable grant schemes and the history and work of the RLF. Growing up, literature and reading has always been a central part of my life. I first discovered my love for reading when I was younger and my parents would read to me before bed. From dressing up for World Book Days to spending hours browsing through Waterstones, books for me have always felt like an escape from reality and with the many incredible genres of storytelling available, there will always be something for everyone. I think it is so important for more young people to share and experience the joy of reading and its benefits, as I believe reading can have a profound positive impact on many lives, relevant especially during this year of the National Year of Reading. 

My enthusiasm for literature was a major factor for me applying to the RLF for work experience, as I wanted to help play a part in the organisations invaluable work in aiding writers in financial need nationwide. I was so thrilled when I discovered that the work experience week provided by school coincided perfectly with the RLF’s special 100th anniversary celebration for AA Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh, where the RLF patron’s Her Majesty The Queen joined writers and competition winners for a game of ‘Pooh Sticks’. Meeting the Queen and helping organise and provide support at the event in Ashdown Forest was an amazing, once in a lifetime opportunity that I am extremely grateful for and honoured to have been a part of. I was so pleased to meet the inspirational writers at the event, whose childrens books and novels have always had a special place in my heart, especially Sita Brahmachari and Julia Donaldson whose work I loved growing up. The impact of their writing for me demonstrates the power of storytelling and how a piece of writing can stay with you your whole life.

Amelie met writers (l-r) Jane Riordan, Cerrie Burnell, Sita Brahmachari, Dame Julia Donaldson and illustrator Axel Scheffler

On the third day, I made press clippings, shadowed meetings and visited a section of the Royal Literary Fund’s historical archive, where I was fascinated by the treasure trove of documents and applications of beneficiaries across the 236 years that the RLF has been supporting writers. Reading documents that dated back to the 1940s and examining the paperwork of the many distinguished writers such Ted Hughes and Doris Lessing who were a part of the charity was an amazing experience and I learnt much more about the RLFs prestigious history of outstanding support as well as the continued importance of writers and reading throughout time.

My week of work experience at the Royal Literary Fund has been so inspiring and helpful as I have learnt firsthand how work environments function, how to manage press events, the importance of charities and what a role in the literary industry might look like, a line of work I may pursue in the future. It has also really changed my perspective on writers and authors who I now have a greater appreciation for, after seeing the amount of work that goes into writing and how they use their work as a way of sharing and expressing themselves and sharing their life experiences.

Main image shows Amelie (right) in conversation with writer Sita Brahmachari and guests at the press reception, following Her Majesty The Queen’s visit to Ashdown Forest in celebration of 100 years of AA Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh.

You might also like: