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 The Coronation of His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen Consort will take place in May and libraries are planning to celebrate in style.
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Come and join us to celebrate the Coronation!
Libraries are planning lots of special events around the Coronation weekend.
Children and families can enjoy Right Royal rhyme times, stories and songs, crafts, prize draw picture trails, or come and build a LEGO castle.
Adults can come together to toast the King and Queen at a Royal Coffee Morning or a Coronation Tea Party, get creative at Crafternoon Tea or a Right Royal Write, or raise the roof at a Royal Sing-a-long!
Events will vary by library so check your library's web page or Facebook to find out what's happening there.
Find Coronation information and events across Cheshire East.
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 Mass Observation Coronation Project
Would you like to observe and record events in your local area over the Bank Holiday weekend for the Mass Observation Coronation Project?
Your account can be written in any style and include drawings and photographs. You can also record any plans or preparations for the following events, which may include:
- 6th May Coronation of King Charles III
- 7th May Coronation Big Lunch
- 8th May Big Help Out
Your account will inform research and teaching and be kept alongside records of all royal events from 1937 onwards, providing an invaluable record for future generations.
Mass Observation 12th May Day Diary
In 1937 Mass Observation called for people to record everything they did from when they woke up in the morning to when they went to sleep at night on 12th May, the day of King George VI’s Coronation.
On the 12th May this year, the Mass Observation Archive will be repeating its call for day diaries. The written diaries will be stored in the Archive at The Keep and be used by a wide range of people for research, teaching and learning.
We've been inspired by the Mass Observation project and would like you to help us capture a snapshot of what our customers are reading over the Coronation weekend.
Tell us what you'll be reading and why over the lovely long Coronation weekend and your recommendation will be included in a special commemorative booklet: My Coronation Read. Just pop your entry into the special post box at your library. Copies of the booklet will be available from your library later this year.
Will you be tempted by our Coronation themed displays or choose an alternative world to the pageantry? If you'd like some inspiration take a look at our Coronation booklist.
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“Global warming, climate change and the devastating loss of biodiversity are the greatest threats humanity has ever faced.”
HRH King Charles III
HRH King Charles is well-known for his passion for the environment and spent much of his time as Prince of Wales advocating for change to stop climate change. He even spoke at the COP26 global climate change conference in 2021.
We've put together a climate change booklist so you can find out more about the issues affecting our planet.
King Charles has also co-published a Ladybird non-fiction book to help people understand climate change.
Climate Change looks at the causes and effects of climate change on human life, nature and the Earth's geography. It celebrates the youth climate change movement and highlights the small changes everyone can do to help slow and halt the progression of climate change.
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The Queen Consort, Camilla has a long history of supporting charities, with one of her main passions being reading and literacy. Camilla, who will be known as Queen Camilla after the Coronation, has supported many reading charities, including BookTrust, Coram Beanstalk, First Story Books and the National Literacy Trust.
Camilla launched her very own reading initiative in January 2021. The Queen’s Reading Room aims to provide opportunities for the appreciation of literature for all ages. As well as educational content, you can browse book recommendations chosen by celebrated authors and members of the Royal Family. There will even be an inaugural literary festival at Hampton Court Palace in June this year.
You can find some of the Reading Room recommendations on our catalogue.
The Royal Family have supported arts and literature for many years. The Gold Medal for Poetry was established by King George V in 1933, and is awarded for excellence in poetry each year. King Charles presented The King's Gold Medal for Poetry to Selima Hill in 2022.
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May is Local and Community History Month and this year we're all making history!
Libraries will be diving into their treasured local history collections to find beautiful old photographs of previous Coronation parties or historic newspaper articles of royal visits for display at special events throughout May.
These events include family history sessions, coffee mornings, local history quizzes, a play and an author visit. Ask your library what they have planned, or check their Facebook page or our website for details.
 (Image shows celebrations for the coronation of Edward VII in Styal Road, Wilmslow in 1901 - courtesy of Cheshire Archives and Local Studies)
 (Image shows celebrations for the Coronation day of George V in Adelaide Street, Crewe in 1911 - courtesy of Cheshire Archives and Local Studies)
Maybe these wonderful photos of Coronation festivities have inspired you to do a little research of your own. You can find lots more historical images on the Cheshire Image Bank. Have fun browsing for photos of your local area - you might find your street or even your own house!
Perhaps you have old photos of Cheshire that you would like to contribute to the image bank? Cheshire Archives & Local Studies are always looking for illustrations, photographs and prints to add to their collections. Contact recordoffice@cheshiresharedservices.gov.uk with any donation offers.
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Your local library has lots of great resources for researching your community and family history.
(Image shows a street party held in Wood Street, Nantwich in celebration of the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 - photo permission Darren Hogan)
As a library member you have FREE access to our online library resources such as Find My Past (including the 1921 Census and the Cheshire Collection), Ancestry and the British Newspaper Archive. Simply log in to a computer at your local library to get started!
Some libraries offer one-to-one tutorials with a librarian to help you get started, or host monthly family history groups where you can get hints and tips for tracing your family tree and share your exciting discoveries with like-minded people.
Libraries also have books, pamphlets, trade directories, photographs, and maps. We keep records on microfilm, including local newspapers, census returns and parish registers. These are all free to use in the library and whilst most of the resources are for reference only, each library also has a selection of local and family history books for you to borrow. If you would like help, just ask our friendly staff for advice.
The Cheshire Archives and Local Studies service in Chester holds the main Cheshire archive and is open to the public. They have a catalogue covering the full range of local history resources held within the county.
Look out for a special blog about the records they hold relating to different monarchs.
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The Coronation means we're getting an extra bank holiday in May.
All our libraries will be closed from Saturday 6th May until Monday 8th May inclusive, so remember to stock up on books beforehand or use our online services over the weekend.
 (Image shows a street party held in Wood Street, Nantwich in celebration of the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 -photo permission Darren Hogan)
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The Big Help Out is a formal part of the Coronation celebrations. Over 1,500 charities have created hundreds of thousands of volunteering opportunities ahead of the Coronation weekend.
If you'd like to get involved and take part in volunteering in your community on the day, or to sign up to future opportunities, check out the Big Help Out app.
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Image shows festivities on the Old Carnival Field, for the Coronation of George V in 1911
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We hope to see you soon!
We always welcome feedback about our services. If you have enjoyed this newsletter or have any suggestions for improvement, please send us an email to libraries@cheshiresharedservices.gov.uk.
Alternatively pop into your local library and let the staff know. Thank you.
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