 Learn from the experts and help to shape arts offer
Are you aged 16 to 21, live in the borough and care about the arts? Consider joining us as a young producer. You can help us to design and deliver a consultation, which will explore arts priorities for children and young people.
The process will include an online questionnaire and creative focus groups during February half-term. The results of the consultation will help us develop plans for the future.
For the half-term activities, we will cover your transport costs and provide food. We expect the commitment to be one day per young producer, but you can take part more if you wish.
You will also take part in three artist-led workshops at Wokingham Library. This will be a chance to improve your skills by working with artists Laura de Moxom and Suzanne Stallard, as well as filmmaker Matt Hulse.
 Dinton Activity Centre welcomes Storytime sessions
Storytime sessions are coming to Dinton Pastures from Tuesday 17 January, providing a fun and enjoyable introduction to books and libraries for young children.
These will become a regular feature, taking place on the first and third Tuesday of the month at 11am on the Coffee Deck at Dinton Activity Centre. Entrance is free and no booking is needed.
Aimed at children aged two to five, sessions involve an interactive storytelling to help young people build good language and listening skills and give them a good head start for when they start school.
Local storyteller Tony Knight, who was a platform announcer at Wokingham Station and famous with commuters for his poetry readings, will be hosting sessions at Dinton Activity Centre.
 Light the darkness to mark Holocaust Memorial Day
Holocaust Memorial Day takes place every year on 27 January. It remembers the six million Jewish people who were killed during the Holocaust, alongside the millions of other people who were killed under Nazi persecution. It also highlights more recent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.
This date is significant as it marks the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi death camp.
This year's theme is 'Ordinary People' and all libraries in Wokingham Borough will be getting involved by having displays of recommended reading. You can also find out more by reading our blog article.
Selected libraries will be taking part in the Light the Darkness campaign and will safely place lights in their windows between 4pm and 5pm on Friday January 27. This is to remember those who were murdered for who they were and to stand against prejudice and hatred.
 Start 2023 right with nutrition advice and fun crafting
Many of us start the new year with the ambition of losing weight or eating healthier. If you want some inspiration, join us for a free talk on Thursday 12 January at Wokingham Library,
Join qualified nutritional therapist Joanne Hart for an interactive talk from 2pm to 3.30pm as she shares her top tips to create a practical plan. You can book a place by visiting our events pages.
Lunar New Year children's craft activities are running at our libraries in Woodley and Lower Earley this month. The Lunar New Year is observed as a celebration by many cultures and is based on moon cycles.
The first crafting session takes place at Woodley Library from 3.45pm to 4.45pm on Thursday 12 January and the other is at Lower Earley on Tuesday 17 January at the same time.
Booking is required and can be completed online on our events pages. It costs 50p but you can pay on the day when you attend the event.
 Highlights for children and young people
Igniting Writing is a creative writing club for 11 to 18-year-olds, which aims to develop their storytelling and writing skills in a fun, relaxed atmosphere.
Writing can be seen as a solitary activity, so it is a great opportunity for teens to come together and write as a group, share their imaginative ideas with others and build friendships with other young aspiring writers.
Booking is required and sessions are held every Saturday during term-time at Wokingham Library:
- Year 6 to 8: 9.45am to 11.15am
- Year 9 to 13: 11.45am to 1.15pm
Email us if you are interested in attending these sessions.
The following speakers will be at the sessions next term:
- Saturday 21 January: Fiona Barker
- Saturday 4 February: Jennifer Claessen
- Saturday 4 March: Stephanie O'Brien
Do you love LEGO? So do we! Join us for LEGO Club at Finchampstead Library, which is held on the first Thursday of each month from 3.30pm to 4.15pm. This club is open to children aged seven to 12.
Booking is required to attend this club and parents are required to remain on site. You can book by visiting our events pages.
 Learn more about support available to young families
Help is available to young families by attending a Bookstart event at Wokingham Library on Thursday 26 January.
A number of early years professionals will be there from 10am to 12noon to give advice and parents can find out about the Bookstart scheme. There will be information stands from health, early years, children’s centres and Home-Start, as well as the library team, who will have a book corner and activities for children to enjoy.
Bookstart Baby is a universal book gifting programme in England and Wales provided by BookTrust. Every child aged up to 12 months is eligible for a free pack of books and resources, designed to support and encourage families to read with their child as early as possible. Bookstart Baby is gifted by libraries, health professionals and children’s centres in Wokingham Borough.
Find out what is happening in the libraries and children's centres, get funding information from the early years team, learn about the support Home-Start can give to families with children aged 0 to 5, find out how to access Health services for under 5s in Wokingham Borough and much more.
If you can’t make it, you can collect your Bookstart baby pack from any of our libraries and we will also be running gifting sessions and BookTrust storytimes in each branch during February and March, so keep an eye on our library events webpage for details.
 Volunteering opportunities at our libraries
Home Library service
We are looking for volunteers to support our Home Library service, which aims to deliver reading materials to residents who are unable to get to our libraries. This service is completely free of charge to customers. Volunteers can choose the number of readers they wish to visit and would deliver reading materials to readers once every three weeks. Training is provided and volunteers can claim expenses.
Warm Banks
All our libraries are places you can go to stay warm during the current opening hours. Woodley, Lower Earley and Wokingham are looking for volunteers to support coffee mornings held once a month at these sites. We are looking for volunteers who may be interested in giving two hours of time once a month at one of these sites to help us support our communities.
Winnersh Library – Lego Club
We are looking to start a LEGO Club at Winnersh Library once a month. This would be held on the third Thursday of each month from 3.45pm to 4.30pm. We are looking for volunteers interested in running this club. You would be required to supervise the club and help keep the area tidy, with the help of staff.
Lower Earley Library – Craft activity volunteers
We are looking for volunteers interested in running craft activities at Lower Earley Library once a month. Craft Activities are typically held on a Thursday from 3.45pm to 4.45pm or Saturday from 11am to 12noon. The day is dependent on volunteer availability. We provide craft supplies and ideas, but we also welcome applicants who would like to create their own crafts.
Woodley Library – Storytime volunteer and storytime helper
Our team at Woodley Library is looking for a storytime volunteer and a storytime helper. The run time is 30 minutes and under, but we allow an hour for this volunteering role as volunteers will need to help set up and clear away. Storytime is held at Woodley Library on the third Wednesday of the month from 10am to 10.30am. The volunteer would be required to lead the session, while the helper is there to assist with setting up, check in attendees and monitor the session.
Email us if you would like to get involved in any of these volunteering opportunities.
Highlights for adults include return of Cribbage Club
Our friendly Cribbage Club will be restarting at Wokingham Library on the first and third Friday of each month, running from 10.30am to 12noon. All abilities are welcome and there is no need to book.
If you enjoy talking about times gone by, join one of our reminiscence groups for a friendly chat and a cup of tea. Tell someone you know who might enjoy talking about their memories and encourage them to come along. There is no need to book to attend.
Sessions are held at:
- Woodley Library: Second Thursday of the month (Next meeting 12 January, 10.30am to 12noon)
- Twyford Library: Second Monday of the month (Next meeting 13 February, 2pm to 3.30pm)
- Wokingham Library: Last Thursday of the month (Next meeting 26 January, 10.30am to 12noon)
Recommended books and changes to Pressreader
Visit our blog for the latest news in the world of books:
From Monday 16 January, the way you log into the Pressreader app will change. You will still need your library card number, but now you will also need your PIN.
If you have forgotten your PIN you can reset it online. If you do not have a PIN, visit any of our libraries and ask staff there to provide one.
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