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 Welcome to Your Library News
Welcome to this month's Library newsletter. This February we are bringing you a curated collection of exciting updates, upcoming events, book recommendations, community spotlights, and much more. Whether you're an avid reader, a passionate learner, or simply love the welcoming atmosphere of our libraries, this newsletter is tailored just for you.
Stay connected, inspired, and discover new opportunities to feed your love for books and knowledge. Get ready to embark on a literary journey as we share the latest news and treasures from our libraries right to your inbox.
 Helen Phifer, W&F Libraries Reading Ambassador for The Year Of Reading!
We are delighted to announce the amazing Helen Phifer as our Reading Ambassador for The Year of Reading! A huge thank you to Helen, we can't wait to see what the year holds.
Helen Phifer is the bestselling writer of the hugely popular Detective Morgan Brookes series. Her debut novel The Ghost House featuring Annie Graham went on to be a global bestseller. Her first fantasy novel The Vanishing Bookstore set in Salem is out now. She lives in the busy town of Barrow-in-Furness surrounded by miles of coastline and a short drive from the glorious English Lake District. Her favourite hobbies include reading, chasing the Aurora Borealis when it puts in an appearance, visiting Salem, watching the sunset, the moon rise and drinking coffee. Helen loves reading books that scare the heck out of her and is eternally grateful to Stephen King, Dean Koontz, James Herbert and Graham Masterton for scaring her senseless in her teenage years, and to Alice Hoffman’s beautiful stories for inspiring her love of all things witchy and to write fantasy novels alongside her crime thrillers.
Unable to find enough of the scary stories she loves to read, Helen decided to write her own and her debut novel The Ghost House was released October 2013. It went on to be an Amazon #1 bestseller in Canada and made the top #10 in both the UK and US Amazon Top 100. She has also published two standalone thrillers The Good Sisters is a supernatural thriller to scare you senseless and Lake View House.
Request to Borrow Here
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Helens Detective Constable Morgan Brookes series is very popular and readers just can’t get enough of Morgan’s cases. Catapulting One Left Alive the first book in this series into the US and UK Amazon Top 100 charts and #1 on Kobo.
Request to Borrow Here
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When she’s not writing, drinking coffee with her friends, Helen likes to record podcast episodes to inspire and help other writers on their journey.
She also runs a monthly book club at the local Holiday Inn which is her favourite night of the month because she has so many amazing fellow book lovers turn up to drink coffee and discuss her favourite thing – reading.
Listen to Unleash Your Creative Magic
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 Children's Mental Health Week, This is My Place
Children's Mental Health Week is an annual mental health awareness week launched by children's mental health charity, Place2Be. The week exists to empower, equip and give a voice to all children and young people in the UK. We know that our sense of belonging as individuals, in our friendships, in school, and in communities plays a vital role in our mental health and wellbeing.
To know our place and really feel part of our environment is a basic human need. It can have powerful and long-lasting impacts in lots of areas of our lives, including our physical and mental health, education, employment and relationships. When we feel that we belong, it empowers us to contribute to the world and make a real difference.
We know and champion the power of reading to help support our health and wellbeing, build empathy and take us on an adventure. Westmorland and Furness Libraries offer an inclusive space and welcoming place for all young people and their families. As well as an amazing collection of books for children, we are delighted to offer regular and special activities for the 0-5's, children and young people and their families as well as special book collections around children's mental health.
Find out more about Reading Well For Teens
Find out more about Reading Well For Children
Find out more about Reading Well For Families
Employee Excellence Award
Congratulations to our wonderful Library Assistant Shannon, who was the runner up for the Employee Excellence Award at the Barrow BID 'Barrow Buzz Awards' last Friday!
Caring, passionate, inclusive, reliable and helpful were just some of the words used to describe Shannon last night and we couldn't agree more. She is a superstar and will always be number one in our eyes!
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 Warm Welcome at W&F Libraries
We were proud to support warm welcome week. Joining thousands of Warm Welcome Spaces across the UK to help everyone find warmth, connection, and community. It's very cold and windy outside. Did you know most of our libraries are Warm Spots? We have heating, you can use the computers for free for 2 hours and you have a world of books to browse through.
Find your local Warm Welcome Space: https://www.warmwelcome.uk/find-a-space
LGBTQ+ History Month, Science and Innovation
This LGBTQ+ History Month theme is Science and Innovation. Each year five LGBTQ+ historical figures are selected in line with the theme. 2026 marks the 22nd year of celebrating LGBTQ+ History Month, which aims to highlight the amazing things that LGBTQ+ people have achieved throughout history.
Keep an eye out for displays in our libraries, and reading recommendations across social media, full of interesting books you can request from your local W&F Library this LGBTQ+ History Month!
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 National Storytelling Week - Soundtrack Your Story
Created by Society for Storytelling, this fantastic annual event is a joyful celebration of the power of sharing stories. Stories teach us about the world; they allow us to step into someone else’s shoes and feel empathy; they help us to relax and escape and they can help develop essential literacy skills.
National Storytelling Week 2026 is a celebration of oral storytelling, reading and writing for pleasure. At a time when young people’s writing and reading enjoyment levels are at their lowest, National Storytelling Week has never been more important. In celebration of National Story Telling Week and The Year of Reading, Westmorland and Furness Libraries are delighted to launch our new Story Sacks collection.
Story Sacks Launch
Share the Adventure, Share the Joy, Share the fun, Share the Story. These fun filled bags include a selection of books, toys and games inspired by popular children's book characters. To share with your child. A fun filled way to bond, explore and learn with themes from Dear Zoo, The Colour Monster, Bluey and Gigantosaurs to name a few.
Story Sacks are available to take home with an adult account now! This project has been possible with the support of Know Your Neighbourhood Fund thanks to DCMS, and Arts Council England. Our gorgeous sacks were made by Stitch Different.
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 Libraries Feature in 50 Things List!
We are delighted to be features in Family Hubs gorgeous leaflet, 50 Things to do Before you're 5. Discover 50 fun, low-cost activities to enjoy with your child before they turn five, designed to spark learning, creativity, and family time. A leaflet featuring 50 low-cost or no-cost activities designed for children under five to support early learning, physical development, creativity, and family bonding. Activities range from simple indoor ideas like reading stories, playing peek-a-boo, making playdough, and threading beads, to outdoor adventures such as planting seeds, bug hunting, seasonal walks, cloud watching, and riding a bike. It emphasizes imaginative play, sensory experiences, and social interaction through games, crafts, and nature exploration.
Why not join in with your little one? Get your leaflet here.
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 Lights..Camera..Read!
Love films and TV? Then these are the books for you! Be it a gripping drama, hilarious comedy, or this year's blockbuster film, so many of the stories we love started life as a book. For the year of reading, why not go all in and read the book that inspired the film you love? Find our picks on Borrow Box here.
eBooks on BorrowBox
So many fantastic eBooks to borrow for free with your library card. be amazed at how many of your favourite shows actually started as books. My Oxford Year by Julia Whelan. The Empress by Gigi Griffis. The Girlfriend by Michelle Frances. Rivals by Jilly Cooper. His and Hers by Alice Feeney and many, many more.
Explore eBooks here.
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eAudio on BorrowBox
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Listen to the storys that inspired the shows you love. Our BorrowBox collection includes so great examples including. The Last Anniversary by Liane Moriarty. Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan. Shelter by Harlan Coben. Outer Banks by Jay Coles and A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson.
Explore eAudio here.
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ePress on BorrowBox
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Did you know that we have a huge collection of digital newspapers and magazines all available with your library account through BorrowBox. If you love TV and Movies there is a great choice including, Empire, Radio Times, Inside Soap, SFX UK and TV Times UK.
Explore ePress here.
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 On Thin Ice
We are so excited about the Winter Olympics. So if you love skiing, extreme sports, ice dance or curling, then these books are for you. We even threw in some other winter sports that may not feature in the Olympic but we still love, cough, cough, rugby! For the year of reading, why not go all in? Be it biographies, stories or real-life tales of sporting endeavour. There's something for every sports fan to get into. Find our picks on Borrow Box here.
eBooks on BorrowBox
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A brilliant collection of eBooks inspired by the ice. Why not check out these stories of great endeavor and human achievement. Or a fun romance set in a ski resort? There really is something for everyone.
Fake Skating by Lynn Painter, One Jump at a Time by Nathan Chen, Still Sideways by Devon Raney and The Great Defender by Kevin Shea.
Explore eBooks here.
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eAudio on BorrowBox
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Listen to your favourite winter sports starts in their own voice! Our BorrowBox collection includes so many great eAudio books including.
Loose Head by Joe Marler, Unbroken by Katarina Johnson-Thompson, The Au Pair Affair by Tessa Bailey and Able by Dylan Alcott.
Explore eAudio here.
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ePress on BorrowBox
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Did you know that we have a huge collection of digital newspapers and magazines all available with your library account through BorrowBox. If you are excited about Winter Sports there is a great choice including, Rugby World UK, Italia!, Country Walking and Trail.
Explore ePress here.
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Kate Davis In Conversation
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6th March 2pm @ Barrow Library
FLOW. An extremely ambitious narrative poem of breathtaking scope and empathy. 6 women and what they do to survive - a story that traverses vast spaces of land and time, centred around Kate’s Cumbrian home.
Book here now.
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Regular Events and Activities
Explore a world of fun and learning! Are you ready for an exciting spring filled with captivating events and activities? Look no further than Westmorland and Furness Libraries! Did you know that alongside our exciting events, we offer a variety of regular groups and activities that cater to different interests and promote lifelong learning. Many of these regular groups are completely free, including Baby Bounce and Rhyme, Lego Club, Craft Club, Storytime, Knit and Natter, Chess Club, and many more.
Explore the wonderful opportunities available to you!
Check out our regular groups and activities. 👇
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Barrow Group Libraries - Walney, Roose, Askam, Ulverston, Dalton & Ormsgill
Penrith Group Libraries - Alston, Appleby, Kirkby Stephen & Shap
Kendal Group Libraries - Ambleside, Grange, Kirkby Longsdale, Milnthorpe, Sedbergh & Windermere
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Have you downloaded our library app? It's now ready for download! Access your library card digitally, renew items on-the-go, and scan any book, anywhere to check availability at your local library. We've incorporated your feedback to ensure it's packed with features you'll love!Available now on both Apple and Android devices - click the link to get started or search for CWF Libraries on the App Store or Google Play!
Follow Us on Social Media
Stay connected with us on social media! Did you know that Westmorland and Furness libraries can be found on across social media. Pop on over to your chosen platform to keep up to date and informed about all the latest happenings at Westmorland and Furness Libraries!
Join our growing online community and be the first to know about the engaging activities and resources we have in store for you.
Don't miss out - follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram today!
👉 Follow us on Facebook
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👉 Follow us on Instagram
👉 Follow us on tiktok
👉 Download the library app
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