In Their Own Words
Unedited impressions from people who have attended workshops, joined the reading circle, or received home visits.
Back to HomeDavid M.
Rawai, Phuket — Workshop
I came to the workshop with two plastic bags full of papers I had been ignoring for three years. I left with a box that I can actually open and find things in. The facilitator was calm and unhurried — she helped me work out a system that made sense for my particular situation, not a generic template. I would recommend it to anyone in the same position I was in.
April 2025
Sylvia H.
Kamala, Phuket — Reading Circle
The reading circle is the part of my month I look forward to most. There is something about a small group of people who have all read the same article and come to talk about it — not to be advised, not to be sold something, just to think together. The printed guide arrives by post and I put it on my table when it comes. It is a small pleasure that has become part of the rhythm of my life here.
May 2025
Robert N.
Patong, Phuket — Visit Series
My eyesight is not what it was and I had been letting letters pile up because reading them alone takes so much effort. James came to the house once a week for six weeks and read everything with me. Not just the words — he read at a pace where I could follow along, stop and ask him to re-read a sentence, and actually take in what the letter was saying. I felt less behind by the end of the series.
March 2025
Françoise O.
Chalong, Phuket — Workshop
I was worried the workshop would feel like a schoolroom — structured and a little cold. It was not like that at all. It was more like spending a morning with someone very organised who helped you think through your own situation. I came away with a box and a system that I have actually continued to use. I have since recommended it to two friends who have both attended.
April 2025
William C.
Kathu, Phuket — Reading Circle
I am in my second year of the reading circle now. The thing that surprised me most was how much I valued reading articles I would not have chosen myself. The monthly guide introduces things I would have scrolled past — writing on community ageing, on family correspondence, on how people in different countries approach the later decades. It is a small education that has changed how I think about where I am.
May 2025
Anne C.
Surin, Phuket — Visit Series
The service is exactly what it says it is. Someone came to my house and read my correspondence aloud with me. She did not try to interpret it, did not suggest what I should do, and did not make me feel that my pile of post was in any way a problem. It was simply a kind presence reading alongside me. After six visits I was less anxious about opening my letters on my own again.
April 2025
Three participants who agreed to share a more complete account of their experience.
Retired engineer, Phuket (6 years)
Document Box Workshop
The situation. Peter had accumulated forty years of employment records, property documents, and pension correspondence across two countries. After retiring to Phuket, the folder containing most of this material had not been properly organised in over a decade. He described opening it as something he had learned to avoid.
The workshop. He attended a morning session with six other participants. The facilitator walked him through the labelling categories and helped him identify which of his documents belonged under each heading. Several items that had no clear category were set aside and he was guided to a category for uncategorised paperwork, with a note to return to them later. He left with a completed box.
Afterwards. Three months later, Peter wrote to say that he had opened the box four times to retrieve specific documents, and on each occasion he had found what he needed in under two minutes. He noted that the master index had been particularly useful when his solicitor asked for a specific document during a routine enquiry.
Retired teacher, Chalong
Reading Circle — two years
The situation. Margaret had been living in Phuket for four years and found social connection more difficult than she had anticipated. She is someone who reads a good deal, but found that reading groups she had tried before were either too informal or had an unwanted competitive quality.
The circle. She joined the reading circle eighteen months ago and has attended every monthly meeting except one. She describes the format as suited to her: the guide arrives, she reads what interests her, and she joins the group prepared to speak about a few things and willing to listen to the rest. The facilitated format means the conversation does not drift into personal disclosure or advice-giving.
Afterwards. Margaret attended the year-end gathering and described it as the most natural social event she had attended in Phuket. She has renewed her membership for a second year.
Retired banker, Kata
Read-Aloud Visit Series
The situation. Thomas began experiencing difficulty with sustained reading following a health episode in late 2023. He found that correspondence from his pension provider, bank, and former employer had been accumulating because he found reading long official letters exhausting and, at times, disorienting.
The visits. He completed the full series of six visits. The reader came to his home each Thursday morning, and they worked through the accumulated correspondence together. Thomas directed which letters were read and at what pace. By the fourth visit, the letters that had been piling up were largely addressed. The final two visits were spent on current post as it arrived.
Afterwards. Thomas wrote that the visits had given him a way back into his correspondence that did not feel punishing. He noted that having someone read aloud meant he could concentrate on understanding rather than decoding, and that this distinction had been more significant than he had expected.
340+
Workshop participants
6 yrs
Reading circle in operation
4.8
Average participant rating
12+
Nationalities in the circle
Phone
+66 99 583 7421Address
215 Patong Beach Road, Patong, Kathu, Phuket 83150
Working Hours
Mon–Fri 9:00–17:00 · Sat 9:00–13:00
The next workshop has places available. The reading circle accepts new members at the start of each quarter. Write to us to find out what fits your situation.
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