Tag: Musselburgh Library

Fort Kinnaird launches free book club in partnership with Musselburgh Library

Diverse aged group of people reading books together

Fort Kinnaird has partnered with Musselburgh Library to launch a free book club that will bring the community together over the joy of reading. 

The club will be hosted at the centre by the Musselburgh Library Team, with participants encouraged to bring along the book they’re currently reading or favourite novel to discuss and take inspiration from others.

Launching in Caffè Nero on Thursday 25th April, from 10am – 11am, the book club will meet on the last Thursday of every month. Booking is not required, and a free hot drink will be available for all attendees of the first session.

The new book club coincides with the relaunch of the centre’s popular book swap, which saw over 300 books exchanged by the community last year.

This year, in addition to the ‘Little Library’ of children’s books in the play area to exchange for free, there will also be a dedicated area for novels for all ages to swap in Caffè Nero. Both book swaps will be available from Thursday 25th April onwards.

Liam Smith, centre director at Fort Kinnaird, said: “From our long-term partnership with the National Literacy Trust, we know how important access to books and reading is for children, not only for literacy development but also mental wellbeing – which is why we launched our book swap initiative last year.

“But we know reading is equally valuable to adults and it’s brilliant to be able to take our support even further with the launch of the book club, bringing the local community together to socialise and chat over a good book, or several!

“A special thank you goes to Musselburgh Library and Caffè Nero for providing their expertise and a venue.” 

Wilma Porteous, community librarian at Musselburgh Library, said: “We are so passionate about the benefits of reading, both for wellbeing and education, and were delighted when Fort Kinnaird approached us to work on this book club together.

“Whether you’re into thrilling crime novels or prefer a literary classic, the book club is the perfect excuse to while away an hour with fellow readers.”  

For more information, please visit https://www.fortkinnaird.com/news/free-book-club

To plan your day out at Fort Kinnaird, please visit www.fortkinnaird.com

Reading is Caring: New support for people living with dementia

Scottish Book Trust, the national charity working to change lives with reading and writing, has launched a series of free workshops, available online and in local libraries, designed to help those who support and care for people living with dementia.

The charity runs Reading is Caring, a programme which provides personalised training on creating shared, sensory reading experiences to those caring for someone living with dementia – whether that’s a partner, relative, friend or professional carer. Reading is Caring is designed to ease daily challenges by creating special moments of connection, sparking positive memories and relieving stress.

A Reading is Caring participant, caring for her mother who lives with dementia, said: ‘Reading is Caring was fantastic. The stories bring mum into the here and now. She laughs, she’s interested and engaged. I get a glimpse of her personality again, which is lovely for both of us.’

Now in its third year, Reading is Caring has been proven to provide a consistent, connective activity for family, friends, and professional carers to use at every stage of the dementia journey.

People in Edinburgh and the Lothians who support someone living with dementia can attend a two-part workshop series online, or head along to one of the drop-in sessions at Craigmillar Library and Musselburgh Library.

These free workshops provide the knowledge and tools needed to share reading with someone living with dementia. Scottish Book Trust provide personal support throughout and after the training to help tailor the experience to the unique needs of each person, removing barriers to participation at every stage of their dementia journey.

Musselburgh Library workshops:

  • Monday 27 February: 3–4pm
  • Monday 6 March: 3–4pm
  • Monday 13 March: 3–4pm
  • Monday 20 March: 3–4pm
  • Monday 27 March: 3–4pm
  • Monday 3 April: 3–4pm

Craigmillar Library workshops:

  • Thursday 2 March: 10.30–11.30am
  • Thursday 9 March: 10.30–11.30am
  • Thursday 16 March: 10.30–11.30am
  • Thursday 23 March: 10.30–11.30am
  • Thursday 30 March: 10.30–11.30am
  • Thursday 6 April: 10.30–11.30am

Online workshops take place regularly and can be found on Scottish Book Trust’s website.