Sophie Andrews aka Laughing With Lizzie becomes an ambassador for the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation

Sophie Andrews and me taking part in
the 2015 Jane Austen Festival Regency
promenade © Andrew Knowles

Today, I welcome Sophie Andrews, author of the Laughing With Lizzie blog, to talk about her exciting new role in the world of Jane Austen.

Thank you very much, Rachel, for allowing me to visit your blog today, to make my very special announcement! 

Sophie Andrews aka Laughing with Lizzie

In fact, rather than making my own announcement, I am going to let the wonderful Caroline Jane Knight, Jane Austen's fifth great niece, tell you all!

A message from Jane Austen's five times great niece

Caroline Jane Knight

"It is inspiring to see the positive influence Jane has on people’s lives today. They say life is about what you leave behind and I couldn’t be more proud of Great Aunt Jane’s legacy, my inspiration for the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation. As Jane’s popularity continues to grow, I wanted to extend her legacy by harnessing the global passion for Austen to improve literacy rates. Literacy is the key to self-improvement and unlocking potential. Reading and writing are essential skills for anyone who wants to understand, enjoy and influence the world around them. The foundation raises money to help create confident readers and proud writers by providing free books and writing materials to communities in need around the world, in honour of Jane. We are a volunteer organisation with all monies raised spent on literacy resources and fundraising activity. We are currently raising funds to provide literacy resources for the displaced children of Syria, delivered on the ground by UNICEF.

I only joined Facebook a year ago and was amazed to discover a world of Austen, involving Janeites from around the world, enthusiastically and vibrantly celebrating and discussing all aspects of Jane’s life and works. With over 7000 websites and social media profiles associated with Jane, there is a never ending stream of content to keep even the most ardent Janeite engaged. 

One in particular caught my eye: Laughing With Lizzie, a young woman who seemed to have a lot of fun dressing up in Regency costume, visiting Jane’s former homes, participating in Austen events and sharing it all with thousands of followers in a well written blog. I was intrigued. Why did this young woman dedicate her time to celebrating Jane Austen? I reached out and arranged to talk to the woman behind the blog, Sophie Andrews. Sophie is a delight to know personally and her journey with Jane truly heart-warming, a story I will leave for Sophie to share. 

Before discovering Austen, Sophie wasn’t a big reader but the discovery of the magic that lay in the pages of Pride and Prejudice, that just got better with every read, changed that and was the start of Sophie's love affair with the written word. As a keen writer herself, Sophie was able to imagine the frustration of wanting to write but having no paper or pen and without hesitation offered to help promote the foundation.

I am pleased to announce Sophie Andrews, aka Laughing with Lizzie, as an Ambassador for the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation. We are thrilled to have Sophie’s support to help us create confident readers and proud writers, in honour of Jane." 

Sophie Andrews in her 'book' dress

Thank you Caroline for such kind words, and more importantly, for allowing me the opportunity to be an ambassador for such a worthwhile charity. It is an honour and I am very much looking forward to doing all I can to help the charity!

It all started with Mr Darcy

As Caroline mentioned, Jane Austen has been very important in my life, for many different reasons. I was just nine when I saw the 2005 film version of Pride and Prejudice, but I was a little too young to fully understand the language, so it didn’t really make an impression on me. I watched that film a few more times and as I grew up I began to fall completely in love with it! But I still wasn’t hooked on Jane Austen, it was just Pride and Prejudice – or actually, to be more accurate, I was just hooked on Mr. Darcy! 

Sophie Andrews looking in the mirror

However, back in 2011 I was going to be studying Pride and Prejudice for my English exams, and so that summer I had to read it. You have to understand that at the time I really wasn’t a reader. However, given I enjoyed the film, I was looking forward to it. When I was on my summer holidays I read it in a week. I just couldn’t put it down! It seemed strange to my family to see me engrossed in a book, as I guess I used to be like Emma Woodhouse in regards to books and reading! Pride and Prejudice was amazing from start to finish, and from that point I was caught up in the elegance and eloquence of Miss Austen's world and words! 

Addicted to Austen

I reread Pride and Prejudice straight afterwards and I really enjoyed studying it at school, becoming the class expert. Following this, I read Sense and Sensibility, then Emma, followed by Persuasion, Northanger Abbey and finally Mansfield Park. There was no stopping me! Having devoured the six main stories, I devoted myself to studying all aspects of the Jane Austen phenomenon, from the film and television adaptations, to the fan fiction, commentaries, critiques, information books and biographies, as well as the worldwide online Jane Austen community. There was no going back now - I had become a true and proud Janeite.

The birth of Laughing With Lizzie

Fast forward a year or so, and after a lot of 'persuasion' (if you'll excuse the pun!) from a friend, I eventually started my blog, Laughing With Lizzie. It was my space to rant and rave about my passion for Jane Austen. It was also my escape; I was having a hard time at school and some family illnesses at the time (that is a whole other story I won't go into now!), and so I really threw myself wholeheartedly into the world of Jane, enjoying my escape into her world through her books, and subsequently my blog. Slowly, slowly my blog became better known, and then about a year and a half ago I started my Facebook page. From there, I have no idea how, but so many amazing things have happened for me and I have participated in so many wonderful events. I have to pinch myself every day, as it is all beyond my wildest dreams. 

A book donated by the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation

Ambassador for the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation

Fast forward again to a few months ago, when I noticed a certain Caroline Jane Knight had liked my Facebook page. I sent Caroline a message of thanks, and before I knew it, I was actually talking to Jane Austen's descendant on Skype! Caroline told me all about growing up at Chawton House, and about her charity she has recently founded. I was fascinated by both, but the foundation really caught my attention; a charity that was using Jane's popularity and her legacy to do some good in the world. It really hit home with me, given how much Jane Austen has changed my life. We continued to Skype every few weeks, until Caroline asked if I would be an ambassador for the charity. As you can imagine, I jumped at the chance!

I mentioned earlier how I never used to be a reader. Well, the truth is that I had never read another ‘proper’ book before Pride and Prejudice! Jane Austen brought me to reading, and so being able to have the opportunity to help bring the joy of reading to others, as Jane did for me, is truly wonderful.

The foundation is also helping to create proud writers, as well as confident readers, and this is also something I really would like to help in promoting, for, without the ability to write, I would not be sitting here right now writing this post. I would not have had a blog full stop.

Jane Austen really has been a huge influence in my life, even in just five years! As I cannot thank Jane Austen personally for all she done for me, this opportunity to help use her legacy to bring the ability to read and write to others seemed like the perfect way of saying thank you to Jane for bringing reading, and to a certain extent writing, to me.

A fellow ambassador

Sophie with Simon Langton

I am even more pleased to be able to say I had the opportunity to meet a fellow ambassador the other day. Simon Langton, director of the groundbreaking 1995 mini-series of Pride and Prejudice with Colin Firth, was announced as the first ambassador a few weeks back, and during a recent conference at Chawton House Library - which is even more appropriate, given that the founder, Caroline Knight, was the last generation of Knights to grow up there! - celebrating 20 years since the mini-series. It was lovely to be able to meet him in person. He is a lovely gentleman and just as passionate about the charity as I am. 

Sophie with fellow ambassador, Simon Langton

Personalised bookplates for Foundation donors

Can you spot anything different about the front of the books we are holding? That little white label proudly adorning our books? What you can see is a very special Jane Austen Literacy Foundation bookplate! Bookplates are a traditional way to indicate ownership of physical books. Especially when books were scarce and expensive, labelling books was an important way of keeping track of your property, whilst still allowing them to be loaned out and circulated. And what is even better is that you can own one yourself, personalised with your name in Jane's hand and its own unique number, perfect to stick into your favourite book, showing your support of the charity. All you have to do is head over to the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation website - click on the donate button, and once your donation has been processed, you will receive by email your personalised bookplate! Simple as that!

Once again I would like to say a big thank you for allowing me to come onto your blog to share my special announcement with you and your readers. I did not come empty handed either - I have a fantastic competition for you to enter! 

Sophie Andrews

A chance to win a night's stay in Jane Austen's House in Bath

Plaque outside Jane Austen's house in Bath

Bath Boutique Stays have been so kind as to offer a one-night mid-week stay for two in an apartment at 4 Sydney Place, Jane Austen’s former home in Bath. 

4 Sydney Place, Jane Austen's house
in Bath - photo © Andrew Knowles

All you need to do to enter to win this fabulous prize is to guess the answer to the following question: How many steps is it from Lizzy Bennet’s penthouse apartment to the carriage awaiting her at the front door of 4 Sydney Place?

The hallway, 4 Sydney Place, Bath

Please email your answers to Lucy Bennett (her real name!) at lucy@bathboutiquestays.co.uk and the person who guesses the correct number of steps - or comes closest to it! - will win! The competition ends on 2 October.

Staircase, 4 Sydney Place, Bath