Photo credit: Marc Thomas
Aldbourne Children’s Book Group celebrated their 50th Birthday on Saturday March 22nd with a Birthday Extravaganza in Aldbourne War Memorial Hall. Members past and present gathered from North Wales, London, Reading, Oxford and even California. Award-winning illustrator, Korky Paul, led a Draw-A-Thon workshop with over 50 children, accompanied, of course, by Winnie the Witch and Wilbur. The children enjoyed crafts galore, a magic raffle and a sumptuous birthday tea with a very special Book Birthday Cake. The event was generously supported by The Arts Society, Hungerford.
Jo Williams looks back over the Book Group’s 50 years: “Take half a dozen determined young Mums in 1975, a library which refused to stock books for children and a general concern about children and books and you have the beginning of a new venture – Aldbourne Children’s Book Group, a member of the national Federation of Children’s Book Groups.
Their request to Wiltshire Council on headed paper finally elicited agreement for children’s books to be stocked in Aldbourne Library for loan during normal opening hours.
From this initial success the group went from strength to strength, growing to over 100 members in less than ten years. They ran storytelling sessions, a school bookshop, an annual book sale, activity afternoons ranging from puppet-making to a Tractor Trailer Ride, Book Swaps, book stalls at village sales and entered floats in the Aldbourne Carnival.
Over the years they have brought more than 100 authors, illustrators, poets and storytellers to children and adults in the area including Jacqueline Wilson, Nick Sharratt, Lauren Child, Morris Gleitzman, Bernard Cornwell and local authors and illustrators Eileen Browne, Geraldine McCaughrean and Chantal Bourgonje.
As a testing group for The Children’s Book Award for many years the group worked with over 20 schools in and around Aldbourne. Through the testing the group was able to donate books not only to these schools but also to Home Start, The Women’s Refuge and Ramsbury Surgery amongst others.
The group has built up strong links with the community, working with Swindon and Marlborough Literature Festivals, and from 2001 until 20018 the group created Storysacks for Great Western Hospital School Unit and when replacement bags were needed honorary member Geraldine McCaughrean kindly stepped in.
Aldbourne Children’s Book Group has spread its message far and wide as it has helped to set up other Children’s Book Groups around the country in Plymouth, Oxford, Reading -in fact Reading Children’s Book Group celebrates its 20th Birthday this year! The Group has also organised three national weekend conferences for the Federation of Children’s Book Groups, in Cirencester, Marlborough and Bradfield.
Many children from the group have gone on to study and work in the worlds of publishing, literature and journalism – one has even published a children’s book!”
New members are always welcome. For more information contact Jane Aplin jane0aplin@gmail.com
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