British Neuroscience Association welcomes The Queen’s Reading Room as an Official Partner for the International Festival of Neuroscience, BNA2025

17th Feb 2025

The British Neuroscience Association (BNA) is delighted to announce an exciting new partnership with The Queen’s Reading Room for the International Festival of Neuroscience (BNA2025), its flagship international conference. 

As an official partner, The Queen’s Reading Room will play a prominent role at BNA2025, hosting a series of unique events including a plenary session where expert speakers Barbara Sahakian, Professor of Clinical Neuropsychology and Dr Christelle Langley, Neuroscientist, both from Cambridge University, will explore our understanding of the benefits of reading for brain health, which include improved mood and long-term productivity. 

The Queen’s Reading Room will also host a public lecture on the benefits of reading, with the valuable help of some brilliant friends of the Reading Room. These talented friends include authors, literature lovers and scientists and will explore how reading can influence not only the way we feel, but also the way we think, speak and sleep. 

Conference delegates will also have the opportunity to take a break from the busy conference schedule at a live Queen’s Reading Room pop-up in the Reading Zone. There, they’ll be able to sit back, relax and lose themselves in the pages of a book to experience the positive effects of reading, which can be enjoyed anywhere. Books featured in The Queen’s Reading room pop-up will then be donated locally to The Brain Food Cafe, a wellness initiative supporting people with neurological conditions which is organised by The Brain Charity. 

The BNA is committed to engaging the broader community in science. A comprehensive public programme of interactive installations, curated by Dr Susannah Walker, Chair of Liverpool Neuroscience Group, will run throughout April, featuring engaging talks and special events in venues across Liverpool, designed to involve the general public in neuroscience and its real-world impact. The Queen’s Reading Room will be an integral part of this public initiative. 

Members of the public are invited to attend the TQRR/BNA Public Lecture, an exclusive event featuring special guests discussing their favourite books and exploring how literature has played a crucial role in their own mental wellbeing.

CEO of The Queen’s Reading Room, Vicki Perrin said:

‘The Queen’s Reading Room is privileged to be partnering with The British Neuroscience Association on this landmark event in the scientific calendar. 

As a Charity, we are passionate about promoting the health and wellbeing benefits associated with reading, and look forward to bringing neuroscience and literature closer together through a very special Public Lecture & plenary session which will highlight the transformative power of books. 

And if that’s not enough - conference delegates will be able to immerse themselves in a specially curated pop-up Queen’s Reading Room, a place where users can take ten minutes to sit down, shut off from the busy world around and escape into the pages of a brilliant book leaving them feeling restored and invigorated…We can’t wait to see you there!’ 

The president of the BNA, Prof Tara Spires-Jones said:
“I am delighted about this partnership between the British Neuroscience Association and The Queen’s Reading Room, which will benefit both charities. BNA are excited to work with The Queen’s Reading Room to facilitate cutting-edge research into the benefits of reading. Our members and members of the public interested in neuroscience will be thrilled to hear from authors and celebrities about books that influenced them, along with the role reading plays in their mental health.”

This exciting partnership between the BNA and The Queen’s Reading Room promises to enhance BNA2025, bringing a unique blend of neuroscience and literature to both delegates and the broader public, while highlighting the powerful connection between science and the arts.

About The Queen’s Reading Room (QRR)

The Queen’s Reading Room is a charity and literary hub on a mission to help readers and non-readers alike find and connect with books they will love. Through exclusive author interviews and behind-the- scenes content, podcast and annual literary festival, The Queen’s Reading Room seeks to advance education by providing opportunities for the appreciation of literature among adults and children, introducing and celebrating books from around the world and the extraordinary people who create them. Its purpose is to help more people find and connect with books – chosen for their educative, literary or historic merit - which enrich their lives and turn them into lifelong readers.

The former Duchess of Cornwall launched ‘The Reading Room’ on Instagram in January 2021 with Charlie Mackesy and his wonderfully illustrated ‘The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse’. Since then, there have been 67 books recommended by Her Majesty from a wide range of genres. The project was relaunched as the charity ‘The Queen’s Reading Room’ in February 2023 by Her Majesty The Queen.

Registered charity number 1201916 | www.instagram.com/thequeensreadingroom | www.thequeensreadingroom.co.uk 

About the British Neuroscience Association (BNA)

The British Neuroscience Association is the largest UK organisation representing and supporting neuroscientists. Established in 1968, the BNA works to advance the field of neuroscience by facilitating the exchange of knowledge, promoting career development, and advocating for neuroscience research and its societal impact. The BNA connects scientists from academia, industry, and clinical fields, and all those interested in neuroscience, driving collaboration and innovation in understanding the brain and nervous system.
Registered charity nuber 1103852 | www.bna.org.uk 

About The International Festival of Neuroscience, BNA2025

BNA2025 is the British Neuroscience Association’s biennial international conference, scheduled to take place in Liverpool, UK, from April 27-30, 2025. This prestigious event gathers thousands of neuroscientists from around the world to showcase cutting-edge research and foster interdisciplinary collaboration. With a focus on brain health, mental wellbeing, and societal impacts of neuroscience, BNA2025 will feature lectures, symposia, and workshops by leading experts, alongside interactive sessions for professionals at all stages of their careers. 

The BNA/QRR public lecture will take place on Monday 28 April 2025, 18.30 – 19.30 at the ACC Liverpool. Tickets are available here: https://tinyurl.com/bde8v75m

Register for BNA2025 here: https://meetings.bna.org.uk/bna2025/ 

View the full public programme of events here: https://meetings.bna.org.uk/BYOBLiverpool/ 

For media inquiries, please contact:

The Queen’s Reading Room - Kirstie Logan-Townshend, kirstie.logan-townshend@thequeensreadingroom.co.uk
BNA – Laura Ajram, laura.ajram@bna.org.uk