Warwickshire County Council’s libraries service is delighted to announce the winners of its 2024 bookmark competition, after receiving hundreds of entries during the summer holidays.
The paper bookmarks will be available at libraries across the county from Green Libraries Week, which takes place between 7-13 October 2024, and will be packed full of activities to be enjoyed by people of all ages.
The bookmark competition encouraged participants in different age categories to create an imaginative bookmark design, with over 600 colourful entries submitted for consideration. Following much deliberation from the judges within the Warwickshire Libraries team, two winners were selected in each category.
- 4 - 11 year old winners – Niamh and William:
- 12 - 17 year old winners – Thalia and Niamh:
- 18+ year old winners – Aisha and Saffie:
- Warwickshire Libraries staff winners – Ellen Harrison and Lewis Worthington:
The winning designs will feature on a new suite of free paper bookmarks which will be available for the public at libraries across the county from Green Libraries Week. All of the designs can also be viewed here: Design a Bookmark Competition (warwickshire.gov.uk)
One of the parents of competition winner Niamh, in the 4-11 year-old category, said:
“This is such lovely news…although she understood her chances of being chosen were quite slim, she was quietly hopeful in a way I think possibly only the very young are - so this will really make her day.
“Thank you again for this, we value our local libraries and the services they offer so much. She was indeed excited about the competition! We always try to enter into whatever is going on, but we equally just love spending time in the library - it is such an undervalued space in society.”
In addition to the launch of the bookmarks, next week Warwickshire Libraries is celebrating Green Libraries Week. This is a national initiative celebrating sustainability and climate awareness in libraries, and Warwickshire Libraries is proud to be part of this movement. Here’s a selection of some of the great free events taking place next week:
Fun Palaces! Kicking off Green Libraries Week celebrations on the 5 and 6 of October will be Warwickshire Libraries Fun Palaces weekend, providing creative and community-driven spaces for local people. There will be Fun Palaces taking place at Bedworth, Rugby, Stratford-upon-Avon and Nuneaton libraries, each with their own unique activities running throughout the day. These will range from arts and crafts, trails to explore, musical performances, and much more! Visit Warwickshire Libraries’ Fun Palace Eventbrite webpage for more information.
Autin Dance Theatre workshops. Autin Dance Theatre will be working in partnership with Warwickshire Libraries on their Cultural Beats Programme, offering local people in Warwickshire the chance to move and dance in their local libraries. They will be delivering free, fun and accessible creative workshops across the county. No experience necessary, just an interest in giving it a go! The programme will culminate with free events on International Dance Day with a celebration of dances and street games from around the world. Find out more on the Get Dancing at Warwickshire Libraries Eventbrite webpage.
Book Talks at Stratford Library. Come along to enjoy a series of short book talks at Stratford Library, delivered in partnership with Net Zero Stratford. The talks will feature different authors and experts discussing the topics of sustainability and climate change. There’s no need to book and drop-ins are welcome, but more information is available on the Green Book Talks Eventbrite webpage.
Green-themed Rhyme Time, Lego Club and Story Stomp sessions. Pop along to a Rhyme Time, Story Stomp or Lego club at your local library, which will include all the usual fun for babies and children but with a nature theme!
To discover what events are happening at all of our libraries across the county, visit the Warwickshire Libraries Green Libraries Week Eventbrite webpage.
Cllr Yousef Dahmash, Portfolio Holder for Customer and Transformation, said:
“Warwickshire Libraries is committed to promoting sustainability, creativity, and community engagement through its services and programmes. The bookmark competition and Green Libraries Week activities are both a great way to celebrate our libraries and what they have to offer, whilst raising awareness of environmental issues and empowering our local communities to take action and help us to become a net zero county by 2050.
“Our libraries are welcoming spaces that are open to people of all ages and backgrounds, and I encourage everyone to come along to chat with our friendly staff and enjoy the many free Green Libraries Week activities that will be on offer”.
To enjoy regular access to reading, Warwickshire residents can join Warwickshire Libraries as a member for free. Books are available for members to borrow in-person at a local library, through the online library catalogue, or by browsing the BorrowBox collection which includes a great range of eBooks and eAudiobooks. For more about the activities available at your local library, visit www.warwickshire.gov.uk/libraryevents
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