Child Friendly Warwickshire

Warwickshire County Council’s libraries service has teamed up with the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust to deliver an exciting week of events and activities for pre-school and primary school aged children to celebrate Shakespeare Week, which takes place from 18-24 March 2024.

Celebrating its 10th anniversary this week, Shakespeare Week is an annual national celebration that gives children the opportunity to enjoy new and enriching experiences of Shakespeare. It is one of the pathways to Shakespeare organised and delivered by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust for people of all ages and stages of interest.

This week, a series of ‘Early Years: Storytelling with Shakespeare’ sessions are being delivered at ten libraries across the county, designed to introduce 2-4-year-olds to the magical world of Shakespeare through his renowned comedy play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Each 75-minute session is being provided completely free of charge and will provide an array of engaging activities including storytelling, arts, crafts, music, and dance, all with an exciting Shakespearian twist. It's a great opportunity for children to immerse themselves in the timeless tales of Shakespeare in a fun and interactive way.

In addition, Atherstone Library is hosting two Year One groups from the local Outwoods Primary School to participate in this vibrant and fun-filled week, reinforcing the importance of delivering free and creative outreach activities to support with local community engagement.

The sessions have proved hugely popular with multiple dates already fully booked, but there are still a limited number of places available for children to book on the Warwickshire Libraries Eventbrite webpage. Please note that accompanying adults do not require a ticket, but all children attending must be accompanied by an adult.

Cllr Yousef Dahmash, Portfolio Holder for Customer and Transformation, said:

“Storytelling with Shakespeare is a great example of how our child-friendly libraries are committed to fostering a love of reading, learning and creativity in young people. By providing such enriching experiences free of charge and collaborating with valued partners like the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, we are ensuring that our libraries continue to be vibrant hubs of activity for all members of our community.”

Sarah Fisher, Primary and Informal Learning Partnerships Manager at the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, said:

“As we celebrate the 10th anniversary of Shakespeare Week, we are delighted to be building upon our relationship with Warwickshire Libraries to host these engaging and exciting sessions for our youngest of audiences.

 

‘’This partnership is extremely valuable as it helps us to extend our reach in the local community and invites new audiences to immerse themselves with the life, work and times of Shakespeare.’’

Warwickshire Libraries was successful in a bid to become a National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) in Arts Council England’s funding plans for 2023-26. NPO status means that Warwickshire Libraries is receiving up to £630,000 in funding from Arts Council England’s Investment Programme over the course of three years to deliver a programme of free cultural and creative outreach activities. They are also a friend of Child Friendly Warwickshire, which is an exciting programme bringing the county together in a collective mission to create opportunities and lasting and positive change for children and young people.

To keep-up to date with Warwickshire Libraries’ latest activities, information, and events, you can follow them on Facebook and Twitter, sign-up to the weekly newsletter, or read the Warwickshire Libraries blog.