Tag: Scottish Book Trust

Your Stories: Scottish Book Trust wants to hear your real life stories

National charity Scottish Book Trust has opened submissions to encourage the public to share their real-life stories.

It marks the 14th year of Scottish Book Trust’s annual Your Stories campaign, which this year is partnering with EventScotland as part of Scotland’s Year of Stories 2022. From those who write regularly to those who have never written before, Your Stories is open to all submissions, regardless of writing experience.

Submissions can be made in English, Scots, or Gaelic in any form – story, poem, comic strip, play or letter – of up to 1,000 words. Every entry will appear on Scottish Book Trust’s website and a selection of pieces will be published in a free book distributed to libraries, community groups and schools during Book Week Scotland (14-20 November 2022) – the national celebration of books and reading.

Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust said: ‘The Your Stories programme has always been a cornerstone of Scottish Book Trust, giving a platform for the public to share personal experiences and for some, be published for the first ever time.

“Working with our partners EventScotland for Scotland’s Year of Stories, we hope that many people will be encouraged to share their different experiences and shape the narrative of our country.”

Alison Lang, Director of the Gaelic Books Council, said: “‘Ann am Bliadhna nan Sgeul tha sinn an dòchas gum bi daoine air feadh na dùthcha deònach na sgeulachdan Gàidhlig aca fhèin innse, agus gum bi e na bhrosnachadh dhaibhsan agus do na leughadairean aca an cuid obrach fhaicinn ann an clò.

“Tha e na thlachd do Chomhairle nan Leabhraichean a bhith a’ toirt taic don iomairt seo a-rithist.”

(‘In this Year of Stories we hope that people all over the country will be willing to tell their own Gaelic stories, and that they and their readers will be inspired by seeing their work published. The Gaelic Books Council is delighted to be supporting this Scottish Book Trust initiative once again.’)

Scottish Book Trust has commissioned real life stories from: Helen Fields, author of the DI Callanach series; Graeme Armstrong author of The Young Team; Raman Mundair, filmmaker and playwright and Gaelic authors, Morag Ann MacNeil and Angus Peter Campbell.

Scottish Book Trust will share a variety of prompts through their website and social networks to help inspire those hoping to submit. 

Find out more about Your Stories.

The deadline for submissions is Friday 10 June.

Submissions can be made online via Scottish Book Trust’s website or via post to:

Your Stories, Scottish Book Trust, Sandeman House, Trunk’s Close, 55 High Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1SR

Hundreds of books donated to children supported by Home-Start Scotland

More than 2,500 books have been donated to families supported by Home-Start Scotland thanks to a national charity that has been bringing the benefits of reading and writing to people in Scotland for more than 21 years.

The generous donation from Scottish Book Trust will be shared among many of the 30 Home-Starts across Scotland.

Scottish Book Trust Bookbug and Read Write Count bags, will provide donation of picture books suitable for babies, toddlers and children up primary school age.

Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust said: “Books have the power to change lives. A love of reading inspires creativity. There are many benefits to sharing stories, songs and rhymes with toddlers and pre-schoolers, it gives them the best start in life.

“We are delighted to support Home-Start Scotland and hope these books will support many families within our communities.

“Research proves that reading for pleasure is central in helping to support wellbeing and mental health, positively impacting learners’ attainment across the curriculum, sparking critical thinking, creativity, empathy and resilience.”

Christine Carlin, Director of Home-Start Scotland, said: “We are delighted to receive this wonderful donation from Scottish Book Trust.

“For parents, just a few minutes reading to their children gives them time to step back from the stress of everyday life and enjoy special time with their youngsters.

“Even just sitting closely together looking at a book feels special. For children reading books themselves, it creates a calm, quiet time to build explore and share how they feel, their thoughts and experiences. Reading opens up a world of endless possibilities!”

Home-Start matches highly trained volunteers with local families who need support. Families come to the charity for all sorts of reason – including postnatal depression, coping with twins, isolation and loneliness, disabilities, bereavement or financial worries.

The support is there for as long as the family needs it.

To find your local Home-Start follow the link: https://www.home-start.org.uk/find-your-nearest-home-start

Pictures: Scottish Book Trust

Scottish Book Trust opens search for real life stories

National charity Scottish Book Trust has opened submissions to encourage the public to share their real-life stories.

It marks the 14th year of Scottish Book Trust’s annual Your Stories campaign, which this year is partnering with EventScotland as part of Scotland’s Year of Stories 2022. From those who write regularly to those who have never written before, Your Stories is open to all submissions, regardless of writing experience.

Submissions can be made in English, Scots, or Gaelic in any form – story, poem, comic strip, play or letter – of up to 1,000 words.

Every entry will appear on Scottish Book Trust’s website and a selection of pieces will be published in a free book distributed to libraries, community groups and schools during Book Week Scotland (14-20 November 2022) – the national celebration of books and reading.

Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust said: “The Your Stories programme has always been a cornerstone of Scottish Book Trust, giving a platform for the public to share personal experiences and for some, be published for the first ever time.

“Working with our partners EventScotland for Scotland’s Year of Stories, we hope that many people will be encouraged to share their different experiences and shape the narrative of our country.”

Alison Lang, Director of the Gaelic Books Council, said: “Ann am Bliadhna nan Sgeul tha sinn an dòchas gum bi daoine air feadh na dùthcha deònach na sgeulachdan Gàidhlig aca fhèin innse, agus gum bi e na bhrosnachadh dhaibhsan agus do na leughadairean aca an cuid obrach fhaicinn ann an clò.

“Tha e na thlachd do Chomhairle nan Leabhraichean a bhith a’ toirt taic don iomairt seo a-rithist.”

“In this Year of Stories we hope that people all over the country will be willing to tell their own Gaelic stories, and that they and their readers will be inspired by seeing their work published. The Gaelic Books Council is delighted to be supporting this Scottish Book Trust initiative once again.”

Scottish Book Trust has commissioned real life stories from: Helen Fields, author of the DI Callanach series; Graeme Armstrong author of The Young Team; Raman Mundair, filmmaker and playwright and Gaelic authors, Morag Ann MacNeil and Angus Peter Campbell.

Scottish Book Trust will share a variety of prompts through their website and social networks to help inspire those hoping to submit.

To find out more about Your Stories, visit: 

https://www.scottishbooktrust.com/reading-and-stories/about-your-stories

The deadline for submissions is Friday 10 June.

Submissions can be made online via Scottish Book Trust’s website or via post to:

Your Stories, Scottish Book Trust, Sandeman House, Trunk’s Close, 55 High Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1SR.

Community Campfires project to spark new stories

Scottish Book Trust, the national charity changing lives through reading and writing, has launched their Community Campfires residencies project.

It marks the 14th year of Scottish Book Trust’s annual Your Stories campaign and four intensive story making residencies will take place in communities across Scotland via the Story Wagon.

The Community Campfires residencies will work in partnership with four different library services. Over five days, the charity will support people in the community to tell the stories from their lives that matter to them. The residencies are supported by EventScotland as part of Scotland’s Year of Stories 2022.

Scotland’s Year of Stories spotlights, celebrates and promotes the wealth of stories inspired by, written, or created in Scotland. Stories are vital to every part of Scotland. Every community has its own tales to tell, places to highlight as inspiration for well-known books and films, visitor attractions that showcase our literature, poetry and storytelling heritage and all kinds of places and spaces where stories, old and new, can be enjoyed.

The Story Wagon will tour: Garnock Valley, North Ayrshire; Greenock, Inverclyde; Lochgelly, Fife and the Western Isles, gathering real life stories from the public. Luke Winter, Navigation Officer of the Story Wagon, will be joined by a team of digital storytellers, filmmakers and podcasters producing content in English and Gaelic.

Story Wagon stops:

  • Monday 18 April to Friday 22 April, North Ayrshire
  • Monday 25 April to Friday 30 April, Inverclyde
  • Monday 23 May to Friday 27 May, Fife
  • Monday 30 May to Friday 3 June. Western Isles – Barra, South Uist and Eriskay, Benbecula and North Uist.

Culture Minister Neil Gray said: ‘Every community has a story to tell and it’s exciting to see Scottish Book Trust working with local libraries to bring these to life as part of their Community Campfire residences.

‘Our partners, Scottish Book Trust, have a fantastic track record when it comes to using stories to transform lives and I’m sure those that emerge from this project will make an important contribution to Scotland’s Year of Stories.’

Luke Winter, Navigation Officer of the Story Wagon, (top) said: ‘I’m incredibly excited for Story Wagon to be visiting four areas of Scotland with Scottish Book Trust as part of Scotland’s Year of Stories with EventScotland.

“As craic catalysts, Story Wagon encourages people to explore and create stories. The Your Stories programme from Scottish Book Trust has done a brilliant job of collating treasure troves of stories across Scotland over the past fourteen years.

“We are incredibly excited to be joining with them to meet with the public across Scotland and to help collect personal stories from the extraordinary times we’re all living through.’

Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust, said: “‘The Your Stories programme has always been a cornerstone of Scottish Book Trust, giving a platform for the public to share personal experiences and for some, be published for the first ever time.

Through the Community Campfires residencies project, we will be able to connect directly with these important stories and share them with a wider audience. We’re grateful to EventScotland for funding this programme and we look forward to celebrating stories from North Ayrshire to North Uist.’

Each residency will conclude with a celebratory ‘community campfire’ for each local authority. These events will allow the public to come together and share their stories through a wide variety of formats such as print, audio and film.

On Friday 1 April, Scottish Book Trust will open their national Your Stories project, which encourages the public to submit their real-life experiences, tied in to Scotland’s Year of Stories 2022.

A selection of these stories will be published in a free book that is distributed during Book Week Scotland (14–20 November 2022). Information about submission will be shared on Scottish Book Trust’s website.

A Scotland’s Stories: Community Campfires flagship event will also take place during Book Week Scotland, celebrating the stories gathered across the country.

Edinburgh author is winner of the Bookbug Picture Book Prize

Caveman tale captivates children across Scotland

Inch and Grub announced as the winner of the Bookbug Picture Book Prize

The winner of The Bookbug Picture Book Prize 2022 is Inch and Grub (Walker Books) by Alastair Chisholm and David Roberts.

Run by Scottish Book Trust, the national charity changing lives through reading and writing, the winner of the prize has been selected by the children of Scotland. 45% of voters selected Inch and Grub as their favourite book on the list.

The Bookbug Picture Book Prize celebrates the very best picture books by authors or illustrators living in Scotland.

Children and their families were able to cast their votes either through their class teacher, or online at www.scottishbooktrust.com/bpbp.

Books that were also shortlisted for the prize include Arlo the Lion Who Couldn’t Sleep by Catherine Rayner (Pam Macmillan) and My First Book of Woodland Animals by Zoe Ingram (Walker Books).

A free copy of each of the three books on the shortlist was gifted to every Primary 1 child during Book Week Scotland (15-21 November 2021), in the Bookbug P1 Family Bag. 60,150 Bookbug bags were gifted to Primary 1 pupils across Scotland, plus 850 Gaelic bags.

Alastair Chisholm is an award-winning children’s author and puzzle creator. He is the author of the sci-fi middle-grade adventures Orion Lost and Adam-2, and children’s picture books The Prince and the Witch and the Thief and the Bears, as well as books of Sudoku, Kakuro and other puzzles, including the Kids’ Book of Sudoku and Kids’ Book of Kakuro series.

Alastair lives in Edinburgh with his wife and two children.

Alastair Chisholm said: “It’s incredible to see Inch and Grub chosen as the Bookbug Picture Book Prize winner!

“The Bookbug Bag is a brilliant, important project, one my own daughters benefited from when they were younger, and I’ve loved seeing a new generation of readers enjoying all three books – and to be picked out of those awesome choices is just amazing.

“Huge thanks to Walker Books, and to everyone involved – I know David will be as pleased as I am!”

David Roberts is a children’s illustrator originally from Liverpool. He has illustrated a large number of books in both black and white and colour.

He has worked with such well-known authors as Philip Ardagh, Peter Bently and Julia Donaldson.

His sister Lynn Roberts is also a writer and the siblings have collaborated on several retellings of fairy stories, including Rapunzel: A Groovy Fairy Tale, which was shortlisted for a Blue Peter Book Award, and Little Red: A Fizzingly Good Yarn, which was shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal.

The winning book was announced in an exclusive video to schools and registered groups. View schools engaging with The Bookbug Picture Book Prize via this twitter moment.

Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust, said: “Congratulations to Alastair Chisholm and David Roberts on winning the 2022 Bookbug Picture Book Prize. 

“Inch and Grub has delighted families across Scotland through the Bookbug P1 Family bag. We hope children treasure the book for years to come.”

Viccy Adams, Literature Officer, Creative Scotland said: “Congratulations to Alastair Chisholm and David Roberts – Inch and Grub is a thoughtful and engaging read for young children and their caregivers and has clearly spoken to the children of Scotland in a year when we have been particularly confined to our homes and living spaces.”

Six Edinburgh-based writers receive New Writers Awards 2022

Scottish Book Trust today announces the 10 recipients of the New Writers Awards 2022, which provide a selection of talented writers who have not yet published a full-length book or collection with professional guidance to help them move towards publication, as well as financial support.

Funded by Creative Scotland and run by Scottish Book Trust, the national charity transforming lives through reading and writing, the awards have supported over 140 creative individuals since 2009.

Six of the awardees this year are based in Edinburgh, including: Agata Maslowska from Poland; Helena Fornells Nada from Barcelona; Roshni Gallagher from Leeds; Armarna Forbes from Colorado; Eimear Bush from Northern Ireland and Firas Ibrahim from Syria.

The judging panel included: Jenny Colgan, Sheena Kalayil and Viccy Adams for fiction; Jen Campbell, Sean Wai Keung and Laura Fyfe for poetry; Akemi Dawn Bowman and Ross Sayers for Children’s and Young Adult fiction, alongside Scottish Book Trust staff.

The Gaelic Books Council selects the Gaelic New Writer Awardee.

Former New Writers awardees include: Bridget Khursheed, whose poetry collection The Last Days of Petrol was recently published by Shearsman Books; Sarah Smith, whose debut novel Hear No Evil will be published by Hachette; and Catherine Simpson, whose memoir One Body will be published by Saraband, both in February.

The 2022 awardees are:

Poetry:

Agata Maslowska

Helena Fornells Nadal

Roshni Gallagher

Children’s and Young Adult:

Armarna Forbes

Lindsay Hirst

Fiction and Narrative Non-Fiction:

Dougie Strang

Eimear Bush

Firas Ibrahim

Rae Cowie

Gaelic:

Shelagh Campbell

Each of the 10 recipients will receive a £2,000 cash award and support tailored to their needs including mentoring from writers and industry professionals, training opportunities, and the platform to showcase their work to publishers and agents.

Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust, said: “Announcing our New Writer Awardees is a fantastic way to start 2022. Some of this year’s cohort have interacted with other Scottish Book Trust programmes, and we are delighted they have reached this stage of their journey.

“We wish all the awardees best of luck and look forward to seeing their publications in the future.”

Alan Bett, Head of Literature and Publishing, Creative Scotland said: “Scottish Book Trust’s New Writers awards recognise the wealth of talent in the ranks of Scotland’s developing writers and takes these individuals to the next level through tailored mentoring and training.

“It’s exciting to think that the names on this list have the potential to sit across book spines in the near future, on published collections of poetry, novels or works of non-fiction. Creative Scotland wishes the best of luck to each of them.”

Alison Lang, Director of the Gaelic Books Council, said: “We are delighted be partnering with Scottish Book Trust once again to support an emerging Gaelic writer.

“We will be following Shelagh Campbell’s progress with interest as she works on her new crime novel, and we very much look forward to seeing this and other work in print in due course.”

The New Writers Showcase, a celebration of work by last year’s awardees, will be held online through Scottish Book Trust’s social media accounts on Wednesday 6 April. Information about tickets will be available on Scottish Book Trust’s website.

Writers take next step with SBT Ignite Fellowship bursaries

Scottish Book Trust, the national charity transforming lives through reading and writing, has today announced the fourth Ignite Fellowship awardees.

The Fellowship supports established writers who are embarking on a significant project. This year, the panel has selected author Meghan Flaherty from East Lothian and writer Michael Lee Richardson from Glasgow.

Martin MacIntyre, an author and storyteller from Edinburgh has been selected as the Gaelic Ignite Fellowship awardee, funded by the Gaelic Books Council.

The Ignite Fellows will receive a £2000 bursary and tailored creative support to suit their individual projects. The fellowship will run for one year, from December 2021 to December 2022.

Meghan Flaherty is the author of Tango Lessons, which Kirkus Reviews called “a vibrantly intelligent reading pleasure.” She has an M.F.A. from Columbia University in literary nonfiction. Her work has appeared in O, The Oprah Magazine, The Iowa Review, Psychology Today, Parents, and online at the New York Times, The Paris Review, and elsewhere. She moved to Scotland in September 2020.

During her Ignite Fellowship, Meghan will be working on her second book, a memoir about motherhood, memory, and the self – the stories we tell each other in order to live, and how those narratives define us.

Meghan Flaherty said: “I’m deeply honoured and delighted to be given the extra boost.

“With two small boys at home, my work is often first to slip from focus. Scottish Book Trust just gave me the support to change that, at least for this year!”

As well as a writer, Michael Lee Richardson is a youth worker. Their short film, My Loneliness is Killing Me – directed by Tim Courtney – won a BAFTA Scotland Award in 2018. Michael’s new short, Who I Am Now – directed by Jack Goessens – will be released soon. (NOTE: Michael Lee Richardson uses they/them pronouns)

Their radio drama, The End of the World, aired on BBC Radio Scotland, and their books The Extraordinary Life of Alan Turing and The Extraordinary Life of Freddie Mercury were published by Puffin.

During their Ignite Fellowship, Michael will work on The Other Team, a young adult novel set in Glasgow that follows the trials and tribulations of Mosaic, a ragtag football team made up of young gay, bisexual and transgender men.

It is based on characters from Michael’s short story of the same title which appears in the award-winning young adult anthology PROUD. Football forms the backdrop for the dramas of the young characters’ lives at home, touching on key themes of mental health, sex and relationships, with strong themes of community, friendship and team spirit.

Michael Lee Richardson said: “When I first started out as a writer, I used Scottish Book Trust’s website to learn how to write, and to find and apply for opportunities, and they’ve always been there for me as a writer – from being part of their Labs, to winning the New Writer’s Award, and delivering workshops as part of their Live Literature programme – so I’m delighted to receive this Fellowship and to be working with them again. 

“The Other Team is an idea I’ve had for a long time, and I’m so, so excited to get started.”

Martin MacIntyre is an acclaimed author, bard and storyteller, who has worked across these genres for over twenty years; he has written eight works of fiction and one collection of poems. In 2003 his short-stories in Gaelic and English, Ath-Aithne (Re-acquaintance), won The Saltire Society First Book Award.

His novels Gymnippers Diciadain (Wednesday Gymnippers) and An Latha As Fhaide (The Longest Day) were in contention for their Book of The Year awards in 2005 and 2008 while his second story collection Cala Bendita’s a Bheannachdan (Cala Bendita and its Blessings) was shortlisted for both The Donald Meek Award and The Saltire Literary Book of The Year in 2014.

For his Ignite Fellowship, Martin will be honing a new manuscript of Gaelic poems, inspired by Catalonia and Wales, to maximize their potential reach in up to four languages: Gaelic, Catalan, Welsh and English.

Martin MacIntyre said: “I am delighted; this is a very useful opportunity at this point in my career as a poet and specifically regarding this current ambitious collection.

“Catalonia and Wales proved fertile areas for the seeds of poems to grow and I am indebted to those whose company I shared on the way.”

“Tha mi air mo dhòigh glan; ’s e cothrom glè fheumail a tha sa phrogram aig an ìre seo nam dhreuchd mar bhàrd agus gu h-àraid a thaobh a’ chruinneachaidh ùir amasaich seo.

’S ann gu math torrach a bha ùir nan dàn an Catalonia is sa Chuimrigh is bu thoigh leam taing a thoirt dha na daoine fialaidh a ghabh rium air mo shlighe.”

Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust, said: “Congratulations to our three new Ignite Fellows. We’re grateful to our funders for supporting this programme for a fourth year, providing writers with essential mentoring and financial assistance that will help their careers reach new heights.”

Celebrate! Edinburgh writers featured in Scottish Book Trust’s free book

  • Edinburgh Writers featured in Scottish Book Trust’s free Celebration book
  • A collection of true stories written by people from all over Scotland

Scottish Book Trust has released a free new publication entitled Celebration, in honour of the tenth annual Book Week Scotland. A writer and two writing groups from Edinburgh will have their stories and poems featured in the book.

Book Week Scotland is the country’s biggest celebration of reading and writing and it returns for its tenth year on Monday 15 November to Sunday 21 November.

During Book Week, people of all ages and walks of life come together to share the joy of reading. They are joined in this celebration by Scotland’s authors, poets, playwrights, storytellers and illustrators to bring a packed programme of events and projects to life.

Due to the programme’s special anniversary, this year’s free publication takes on the subject of celebration. 50,000 free copies of the Celebration book, which includes real life stories from people around the country, will be available from libraries, schools and other community venues.

Hundreds of stories from across the country were collected, but only 22 were selected by a panel for inclusion in the Celebration book.

Edinburgh will be represented in the book, with two group poems and a story written by Edinburgh-based writers: How I Celebrate by the Edinburgh Syrian Women’s Group, Revelry by the Open Book Creative Writing Group and A Life Well Lived by Julie Drybrough.

Published authors such as Courtney Stoddart and A Kind of Spark’s Elle McNicoll were also commissioned to write stories about what celebration means to them.

All stories can be read on Scottish Book Trust’s website:

https://www.scottishbooktrust.com/your-stories.

A downloadable version of the book will also be available during Book Week Scotland.

Working in partnership with the Royal National Institute of Blind People, writers included in the book also had the opportunity to record their story for an audiobook version.

Julie Drybrough, author of A Life Well Lived, from Edinburgh said: “It’s meant such a lot to be involved in the Celebration project and be supported by Scottish Book Trust.

“First, to have the piece published on the website felt like recognition and encouragement, but then to be selected for being published in the anthology was an incredible boost for my confidence as a writer. I’m so proud to be involved in this project and very grateful to Scottish Book Trust for the opportunities they create. What a joy.”

The Celebration book includes a selection of stories about what celebration means to the writers included, with the book featuring stories from many different backgrounds and cultures.

The stories included are:

·       Celebration: A Definition by Abiy Orr, from Strichen
·       Mon the Rovers by Alan Gillespie, from Glasgow
·       Bloom by Ali MacDougall, from East Linton
·       Celebrating is as easy as ABC by Alison Coyle, from Clarkston
·       Mum’s Shoes by Britta Benson, from Cumbernauld
·       How I Celebrate, Group Poem by Edinburgh Syrian Women’s Group
·       Gordon’s Waddin by Harry, from Newton Mearns
·       Stories and Self by Jacqueline Boland, from Dundee
·       Blowing Kisses by Jan McKay, from Newcraighall
·       A Celebration of Life by Jane Swanson, from Peterculter
·       An Ordinary Day by Marriane Berghuis, from Cupar
·       A Life Well Lived by Julie Drybrough, from Edinburgh
·       4 Cubed by Kathryn Byre, from St. Andrews
·       Another Step Along the Road by Kirsty Hammond, from Darvel
·       Painted Nails by Lisa C, from Glasgow
·       Running For It by Louise Baillie, from Stewarton
·       Fifty by Lynn Blair, from Kilmarnock
·       Hello, Hello, Hello! What do we have here, Sir? by Mary Topp, from Connel
·       Celebration in Recovery by Matthew Gallacher, from Glasgow
·       Revelry, Group Poem by Open Book Creative Writing Group, from Edinburgh
·       A Sealabration by Rachael Crofts, from Musselburgh
·       Friday Night Treat by Simon Lamb, from Prestwick.

The commissioned stories included are:

  • Celebrate by Courtney Stoddart
  • Celebrate by Elle McNicoll
  • Aisig dhomh gàirdeachas do shlàinte by Eoghan Stewart
  • Armàda by Morag Law
  • ​Wales by Ross Sayers 

Initiated by the Scottish Government and supported by National Lottery funds through Creative Scotland Targeted Funding, Book Week Scotland is delivered by Scottish Book Trust and its partners fromMonday 15 November to Sunday 21 November.

There are free events taking place across many different local authorities and online, funded by Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC).

For more information about Book Week Scotland 2021 and how you can get involved, visit http://www.bookweekscotland.com where you can find information about all the events taking place in your local area.

Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler back Scottish Book Trust major fundraising mission for Scotland

National charity Scottish Book Trust has today launched a major fundraising campaign, backed by The Gruffalo author Julia Donaldson and illustrator Axel Scheffler, to drive its new ambition of ensuring everyone in Scotland has access to books and that no one misses out on the many lifelong benefits this brings.

Since the pandemic, the charity has been overwhelmed by increasing demand for its vital work to support vulnerable children and families.

Featuring a woodland illustration of The Gruffalo’s ‘deep dark wood’ from the iconic picture book, with the main Gruffalo character missing from the scene, the campaign refers to the famous line from the story that ‘there is no such thing as a Gruffalo’ and uses it to illustrate that for many children this is true because they don’t have books at home.

Without books, children are missing out and the impact of this lasts a lifetime. Books help families bond, bring joy and comfort, give children a sense of escapism and, importantly, improve their mental health and wellbeing.

New research conducted by Scottish Book Trust revealed that 85% of parents from Scotland’s most deprived areas said that reading helps them bond with their child and that reading makes their children happy, while 95% of all parents in Scotland said they think it is important for children to own their own books.

Julia Donaldson said: “I have read and performed my stories to many children in Scotland and when The Gruffalo was published, I was writer-in-residence at Easterhouse in Glasgow. I have seen first-hand how books can light up a child, catch an imagination and change a life.

“A lot of the work I have done has been alongside Scottish Book Trust and I have seen the important and effective work that they do for children and families throughout Scotland.

“I couldn’t be more pleased that The Gruffalo is now leading a fundraising campaign for the charity at a time when families need books and support more than ever.”

Axel Scheffler said: “It is sobering to see these well-known pictures from The Gruffalo without the characters included and to be starkly reminded that so many children and families have no access to books.

“Helping them to gain access is an urgent issue and I hope that this campaign will be able to raise the funds needed for Scottish Book Trust to make a difference to children’s lives in Scotland.”

Scottish Book Trust also surveyed education and early years practitioners and their responses underlined the need for books at home was great, with over two thirds stating some children they work with only own books gifted to them by Scottish Book Trust. Over 90% of respondents also stated that some pupils had lost reading skill and vocabulary due to lockdown.

Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust, said: “The need for our work has never been greater than now, and the stark, long-term effects of the pandemic have only exacerbated this. Access to books and reading are absolutely essential for a child’s development and life chances – without books at home, young people in Scotland are missing out.

“By supporting Scottish Book Trust’s fundraising campaign, you can help us deliver more of our vital work to support those who need our help the most. We are incredibly grateful to Julia Donaldson, Axel Scheffler and Macmillan Children’s Books for their support.”

Funds raised from the campaign will enable Scottish Book Trust to deliver more of its life-changing work. Some examples of its programmes include specialist outreach support for young families through Bookbug for the Home, providing tactile books for children with additional support needs, supporting those living with dementia and the people who care for them, and giving books to families in need through food banks and community hubs.

http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/donate