Exciting news for all parents who are wondering how to keep their kids amused over Easter: the wonderful children’s mental health charity Visyon have created a brilliant fun pack for spring time! And it features me, reading Marion Adams’ superb children’s book Go To Sleep!

Visyon do very valuable work in Cheshire and Staffordshire Moorlands, working with young people to help them improve their mental health so that they gain confidence and can deal better with things that happen in their day-to-day lives. Parents, grandparents and carers can turn to Visyon who can help them gain skills to give their child the support they require. The charity kindly gave me permission to include the Visyon bear statue from Bearmania 2010 as one of the bears that come to life in my book, One Night in Beartown, and since then we have been looking at ways that we can collaborate for the good of young people in Congleton and surrounding areas.

Fast-forward a month or two, and I receive a call from Visyon’s Engagement & Impact Manager Kerry Spink, asking if I would like to create a ‘Jackanory’ style video of me reading a picture book, which they would then include in a downloadable pack for kids. Needless to say, I jumped at the chance! I suggested reading my friend Marion’s book, Go To Sleep!

At first I just thought it would be a good book to read as I know it quite well, but it turned out to be the perfect choice for other reasons, too. It’s about a young sheep who can’t get to sleep, and as lambs are associated with spring time, it made a lot of sense to read it – but on top of that, as Visyon’s Kerry Spink explained to me, the not being able to sleep part is also very relevant at the present time, as sadly lots of children and young people are having trouble sleeping.

So, with the help of my talented friend Martin Hobby, I recorded the video and Visyon’s Lee Fullerton edited it superbly. To see the exclusive video, please download the pack here and share it far and wide. For £5, your young one(s) will be entertained for hours with lots of exciting activities to partake in, and some really great competitions. Prizes include signed copies of Go To Sleep!, One Night in Beartown and Sarah’s Shadow , and there’s also a competition to win tickets to Alton Towers. Of course, the money goes towards helping Visyon to give young people the help they need, so it’s a win-win all round!

For more info and to download the pack, please click here. I would just like to say thanks to Visyon for including me in this lovely initiative, and I look forward to working with you guys more in the future!

Visyon Spring Time Fun Pack