London landmarks and more with Steve Antony
Popular children's author and illustrator Steve Antony is visiting three of our libraries on Thursday 6 April.
An award winner and regular of the Wokingham Children's Book Festival, his sessions are always popular and funny.
He will be talking about The Queen's Hat Series, a series of four picture books featuring famous landmarks in London. Part one was nominated for the Kate Greenaway Award and adapted into a musical by the London Symphony Orchestra.
Sessions are running at:
- Wokingham Library, from 10am to 11am
- Woodley Library, from 1pm to 2pm
- Lower Earley Library, from 3.30pm to 4.30pm
Although places are free, they must be booked in advance and spaces are limited. You can find out more and book by visiting the library events webpage.
Activities for children to enjoy during Easter holidays
Let’s Colour In: Watch the Birdie!
Join artist Chris Holley for a fun art session at Wokingham Library on Thursday 13 April. This is suitable for children aged seven to ten and will run from 2pm to 3pm. It costs £3 per child and booking is essential.
Get Arty
Spring and Easter crafts for children aged four to ten. Sessions are running at:
- Lower Earley Library, Tuesday 4 April 3.30pm to 4.30pm
- Woodley Library, Thursday 6 April, 3.30pm to 4.30pm
- Spencers Wood Library, Thursday 13 April, 10.30am to 11.30am
- Wokingham Library, Friday 14 April, 10.30am to 11.30am
Sessions cost £2 per child and booking is required.
Explore Learning
Free taster sessions are being run by Explore Learning and places must be booked in advance:
- Handwriting workshop at Wokingham Library on Tuesday 11 April from 11.30am to 2pm (suitable for children aged four to six)
- Comprehension workshop at Woodley Library on Wednesday 12 April from 11.30am to 2pm (suitable for children aged seven to nine)
- Fun with phonics at Lower Earley Library on Thursday 13 April from 3pm to 5.30pm (suitable for children aged four to six)
You can find out more about all of our upcoming events and book your place by clicking the blue button.
Looking back on the life of our former monarch
Royal Reminiscence
Do you remember the late Queen's Coronation in 1953? Come and chat with our friendly volunteers at Wokingham Library about your memories of past royal occasions and also look forward to the coronation of His Majesty King Charles III.
This is the first of four reminiscence sessions we have planned and is taking place on Thursday 27 April from 10.30am to 12noon. It is free to attend and there is no need to book, with tea and coffee available.
Further reminiscence sessions will be held our libraries in Lower Earley, Woodley and Twyford during May. Check out our next newsletter for more information.
Berkshire Record Office talk
Join us at Wokingham Library for a reflection on the reign of Queen Elizabeth II ahead of the coronation of His Majesty King Charles III.
A talk is being given by The Berkshire Record Office on Friday 28 April from 10.30am to 11.30am. It will look back on the local events held for the Queen's coronation, jubilees and visits to Berkshire.
The talk will also share a few examples of how King Charles followed in his mother's footsteps when he was The Prince of Wales.
Visit our events website for more information and to register.
Home library team helps housebound residents
Are you unable to reach your local library due to ill health, disability or because you are caring for someone? Try our home library service.
We deliver a range of reading materials, including large print and audiobooks. These are delivered by a trained volunteer who will deliver items to match your reading tastes once every three weeks at an agreed time. This service is completely free of charge.
Email us if you are interested in helping out with the home library service as a volunteer.
Highlights for adults including World Book Night
Unpacking Art
Artist Chris Holley is putting a spotlight on unsung women during an illustrated talk at Wokingham Library on Tuesday 18 April.
Discussion will focus on female artists who led the way in global abstraction from 1940 to 1970. This is the first in the series of three talks and runs from 2pm to 3pm. It is a free event, but places must be booked in advance.
All of the talks coincide with topical exhibitions, encouraging people to visit a nearby gallery to connect with great art. This talk relates to a show at Whitechapel Gallery in London, which runs until Sunday 7 May.
Reading Ahead with CLASP and World Book Night
Some members of CLASP, a self-advocacy group for adults with learning disabilities in Wokingham Borough, will be signing up for our Reading Ahead programme in April.
This is a national scheme designed to improve reading skills and change perceptions about reading, opening up opportunities and building their confidence. Those who join the scheme will be asked to read six items, such as poems, magazines, newspapers or short books like quick reads.
They will be given a free reading diary where they can record what they thought of their read and then give each title a score. Once they have completed this, they will be given a certificate of achievement. The scheme will run from April to July.
We hope members will choose titles from our series of quick reads, which are short books and great stories by bestselling authors. In April, six of the most popular quick reads will be reprinted as part of this year’s World Book Night celebration. All titles are available to borrow or reserve from our libraries and some are also available as e-books and e-audiobooks.
Heritage walk
Join our heritage walk on Wednesday 3 May and learn some fascinating facts about the history of Wokingham. This event is being run by the Wokingham Society and is free, but places must be booked in advance. Meet outside the bottom entrance of the old Wokingham Library on Langborough Road at 10.30am. The walk is expected to finish at around 12noon.
Cribbage Club
Our Cribbage Club at Wokingham Library is looking for new members. The club meets on the first and third Fridays of each month from 10.30am to 12noon, except for Good Friday (7 April). All abilities are welcome, just drop-in.
Image above of Lever de Lune (Moon Rise) by Nadia Saikali
Volunteer with us and make a difference in your area
Igniting Writing volunteer
The writing group for children and young people at Wokingham Library is looking for volunteers on the second or third Saturday of each month. Sessions run every week from 9.45am to 1.15pm, with the first two hours for children in Year 6 to 8 and the second session for children in Year 9 to 13.
Volunteers can also be available weekly and would be required to assist existing club volunteers with admin, support chosen sessions, attend author visits and encourage creativity.
Audio resources volunteer
Do you enjoy listening to audiobooks? Do you have a CD player?
Lower Earley Library is looking for volunteers interested in checking our audio resources. We have a number of audiobook CDs that need to be checked to ensure discs are not damaged.
Volunteers are asked to collect a selection from Lower Earley Library to listen to at their leisure. This is a fun way to help your local library and may even introduce you to new authors.
Cosy coffee mornings
Our libraries in Woodley, Wokingham and Lower Earley host free monthly coffee mornings from 10am to 11.30am. Upcoming sessions are running at:
- Woodley Library: Wednesday 5 April and Wednesday 19 April
- Wokingham Library: Thursday 27 April
- Lower Earley Library: Monday 24 April
These coffee mornings are open to all. Tea, coffee and, of course, biscuits are served, and we have volunteers on site if you would like to sit and chat. Just drop in.
Blogs on book news and British Newspaper Archive
Visit our blog to read about awards and news from the world of books:
The British Newspaper Archive, which gives online access to more than 63 million pages from around 2,000 local and national newspaper titles, is available on the library computers in any of our libraries. Visit our website for details of how to set up and use the resource.
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