Bookstart partners celebrate stories with Warwickshire families

Kenilworth library event showcased the great work of the local scheme, writes Paula Sutton, Booktrust Regional Team Manager.

Jeremy Wright MP joined Bookstart partners old and new at the National Bookstart Week celebration in Kenilworth library in Warwickshire on Friday 15 June. He read Busy Bear's Party to the children before cutting the birthday cake and signing the Bookstart 20 pledge.

Mr Wright pledged to support Bookstart 20 by sharing 20 books in 2012 and wrote on his pledge card:

A generation of children have benefited from this vital help in reading, which is the foundation of learning, as well as the opportunity to enjoy new worlds in books. Congratulations to all involved in Bookstart.

Partners from libraries, the family information service, health, parenting support and speech and language all came together to celebrate 20 years of Bookstart in the UK. The programme has been running in Warwickshire since 1996 and coordinators Gwyn Wicks and Sandy Chapman, who have since left the library service, returned to join the current team, Elaine Barker, Stella Thebridge and Bev Cox, to provide a wealth of entertainment for the families.

When I joined the library service in Worcestershire in 2006, Sandy was coordinator in Warwickshire and was a great support to me, so it was really good to work alongside her again.

I was thrilled to be part of the celebrations; to talk with Mr Wright about the fantastic work the partnership in Warwickshire does; to chat with families; to sing rhymes and to read stories to the children. (Oh, and the cake was lovely too!)

Thanks and congratulations to everyone in Warwickshire Bookstart for making the party so special, and for all you do together to promote a love of stories, books and rhymes.