BEFORE hitting 50 next year, former SNJ news editor Sandra Ashenford has compiled a bucket list of 50 goals to achieve before her birthday.

The aim is to do one every week.

The time has come to catch up on the films that I missed

LIST item no 33 – see a new movie every month

For much of my working life I have been on a mission to match reluctant readers with a book that will catch their imagination and open up the world of endless possibilities which books can provide.

But in more recent years, I’ve come to understand that it is not the ability to decode text, but the love of stories which is the most important thing.

Human beings have always loved sharing stories, long before an education gave most ordinary people the skill of reading.

In the past, storytellers would engage and entertain a crowd consisting of old and young, and they might add music or singing to the narrative.

These were shared experiences which linked people together.

Today, going to the cinema provides a similar experience of shared storytelling, and provides common ground for discussion.

We love movies in our family, but not necessarily the same ones as each other, which can make picking a film to see subject to serious negotiation.

Perhaps rather perversely, I love a good action movie, while spouse prefers gentle comedies, especially ones starring Julia Roberts. Daughter number four won’t sit through either, but loves just about anything made by Pixar.

She and I will spend at least one day of any school holiday at the cinema watching the latest animated movie, but I decided I wanted to make an effort to see more of the other new films released each month too.

So, I’ve equipped myself with an Unlimited card, which means I pay a monthly sum and can see as many movies as I like. I’ve seen at least one a month so far, some with spouse and some with friends.

It has also inspired me to catch up on some classics from the past that I’ve missed too, including Casablanca and Breakfast at Tiffany’s. And, it turns out, I must have been the only person in the Western world not to have watched The Shawshank Redemption.

Watching these films and talking about them with other people has been really interesting, and I know it won’t be difficult to see this list item carried on for the next six months – and beyond.

I still love reading, though, and still encourage children to pick up a book whenever I can. In fact, sometimes if they’ve seen the movie, they are more than happy to read the original story.