Christmas Capers at your Library

Christmas is coming and to help to celebrate the festive season your local library is running a festive children’s competition.

Christmas Capers runs throughout December for children aged 0 – 12 and consists of two competitions.

Competition 1, for all budding artists :

Illustrate the poem “When Santa got stuck up the Chimney” in any way you wish.

Competition 2 , for all artisic comedians:

Write out and illustrate you favourite Christmas joke.

All of the entries will be displayed in your library for all to admire and there are great prizes to be won.

Closing date for entries Thurday 31st December 2009.

These activities are available at all libraries in the Earl Shilton Group.

For further information contact your local library:

• Earl Shilton Library 0116 305 8392
• Barwell Library 0116 305 35813547
• Newbold Verdon Library 0116 305 3661
• Ratby Library 0116 305 3668
• Market Bosworth Library 0116 305 3624
• Groby Library 0116 305 3601
• Desford Library 0116 305 3581

www.leics.gov.uk/libraries

Hinckley Library’s Festive Family Fun

Families are invited to join in the ‘Festive Fun’ at Hinckley Library on Saturday, December 12th.

The free event will be held from 10.30am – 11.30am and there will be the opportunity to hear Christmas stories and take part in a special craft activity. There is no need to pre-book – just turn up and join in the fun!

Hinckley and Burbage libraries are also running a Christmas competition this yuletide to see who can come up with the best illustration for the poem ‘When Santa got stuck up the Chimney’.

This is aimed at children aged 12 and under and runs until December 31st.  A prize will be awarded for the best creation and all entries will be put on display at the library of entry.

Application forms are available in both libraries. For more information contact Catherine Overton, Library Development Worker, at Hinckley Library on: 01455 635106.

http://www.leics.gov.uk/hinckley_library   |  http://www.leics.gov.uk/burbage_library

Your Stories

Run by the BBC, My Story is a competition for ordinary people with EXTRAordinary true stories.

Everyone has a story to tell. What’s yours?

Enter your story to the competition to be in with the chance of winning a fantastic prize and see your story retold on BBC One.

The closing date is 16^th December, so get writing!

Visit www.bbc.co.uk/mystory/

Christmas Capers at your Library

Christmas is coming and to help to celebrate the festive season your local library is running a festive children’s competition.

Christmas Capers runs throughout December for children aged 0 – 12 and consists of two competitions.

Competition 1, for all budding artists :

Illustrate the poem “When Santa got stuck up the Chimney” in any way you wish.

Competition 2 , for all artisic comedians:

Write out and illustrate you favourite Christmas joke.

All of the entries will be displayed in your library for all to admire and there are great prizes to be won.

Closing date for entries Thurday 31st December 2009.

These activities are available at all libraries in the Earl Shilton Group.

For further information contact your local library:

• Earl Shilton Library 0116 305 8392
• Barwell Library 0116 305 35813547
• Newbold Verdon Library 0116 305 3661
• Ratby Library 0116 305 3668
• Market Bosworth Library 0116 305 3624
• Groby Library 0116 305 3601
• Desford Library 0116 305 3581

www.leics.gov.uk/libraries

247tales – October Competition

247tales.com

247tales.com is running an online writing competition that challenges you to a write short story using 247 words or fewer. The theme for the October competition is GHOSTS. The competition will close on Wednesday 28th October with the winning stories going live on Friday 30th October.  Competition Poster (PDF)

Young People with a Vision

A world-wide online photography competition has been launched by a group of young people in Charnwood.

This ambitious project – Vision 09 – has been set up by photography students from Hind Leys Community College in Shepshed. The project is in collaboration with Charnwood Arts as part of their ongoing commitment to developing the work of young photographers.

The competition is open to anyone, anywhere in the world who is aged between 16 and 25 years of age. Entries can be made in three categories:  Urban, Portraits and Photo-Poetry.

Text may only be included in the entries in the Photo-Poetry Category invite participants to combine their photographic skills with a poem of no more than 250 words. This category can be entered as a partnership between a photographer and a poet providing they are both aged between 16 and 25.

Entry to the competition is completely free. All entries must be made using the online submission system on the competition website at http://vision09.sharedspace.org/

Closing date for submissions is September 25th, 2009.

Shortlisted entrants will be asked to supply high quality digital images to go forward to a second round of judging, which will take place in November 2009.

The winning images will be published on the Charnwood Arts Pixel & Grain website at www.charnwoodarts.com/pixelandgrain and exhibited in the Hind Leys Gallery, Shepshed in January and February 2010.

Further information from Charnwood Arts at vision09@charnwood-arts.org.uk

Bad Guy Gum bags big kids’ book prize

Andy Stanton bags the prize

Being a bad guy can be great. Especially if you are fictional bad guy Mr Gum, recently picked by Leicestershire’s children as their top read of the year.

You’re a Bad Man Mr Gum by Andy Stanton is the winner of Leicestershire Library Services’ first ever children’s book prize

Andy Stanton received his prize at Borders Books near Fosse Park last week. The event was attended by children from Weavers Close Church of England Primary School in Earl Shilton.

Weavers Close was the winner from a prize draw of schools that had actively supported the Children’s Book Prize and has won £200 pounds worth of books from the prize sponsor, Borders.

Also attending were review winners, Harry Wallace, Adam Toms and Megan Randnamahavorisoa

Over 1,300 children from across Leicestershire voted online, in libraries and in Borders bookshops for their favourite book from a shortlist of titles selected by children aged 10 -13.

The Leicestershire Children’s Book Prize was launched in 2008 as part of the National Year of Reading. Its main aim was to promote great books and to encourage reading for pleasure for children in school years 6 and 7.

To see the winning reviews or find out more about more visit www.leics.gov.uk/childrensbookprize

Leicestershire Children’s Book Prize

There are only two weeks left for children to help choose the winner of the first-ever Leicestershire Children’s Book Prize by voting for their favourite book.

A shortlist of 6 fantastic books with particular appeal for 10 – 13 year olds was chosen by children throughout Leicestershire, and Leicestershire Libraries and Borders Books are now asking children to vote for their favourite from this exciting list.  Children have until April 3rd to vote and can vote in their local library, at Borders, or online at www.leics.gov.uk/childrensbookprize.

The books range from; exciting adventures about secret agents, laugh out loud stories, stories about families and friends, through to true life stories.  There is plenty of humour, suspense and emotion and the books are guaranteed to get everyone reading for pleasure and enjoyment.  All the books are available to borrow in Leicestershire Libraries and children can request them free of charge.

The author of the book with the most votes will win the Leicestershire Children’s Book Prize and be invited to the prizegiving in Borders, in June.  There is also a prize draw for all those schools who have children participating in the voting and the school pulled out of the draw will win  £200 worth of books from the prize sponsor, Borders. There will also be prizes for children who write the best book reviews.

Ernie White, Cabinet member for Community Services, said: “We are looking forward to the first ever Leicestershire Children’s Book Prize and hope that many children will take the opportunity to read the exciting books on offer and vote for their favourite.  We are pleased with the response we have had so far and hope that even more children join in to help select the winner of the prize.”

For more information contact your local library or check out the website:
www.leics.gov.uk/childrensbookprize

Minister opens £1 million library

A £1 million state-of-the-art library, offering wireless internet access, an area for teenagers and CD listening posts, was officially opened by the Minister for Culture, Barbara Follett  on 4th February.
Leicestershire County Council’s Oadby library has proved to be a big success since it opened in November, with around 100 visitors per hour and around 1,000 new members in two months.
Converted out of a former shop on Oadby’s main shopping street, The Parade, it is the Council’s 10th new library in an £8 million investment plan, which has included major face lifts to another 25 libraries. County library visitors have increased 26% over the past 5 years, and customer satisfaction has soared.
Minister for Culture Barbara Follett told an audience at the library today: “A lot of libraries are excellent but few of them are as good as Oadby’s. I want to make sure that people across the country get services as good as this.
“We have to make libraries clearer and more accessible and you have done it brilliantly. Congratulations to Leicestershire and all of you who have been involved in this.”
Mrs Follett said the Government was reviewing library services and was considering giving every child automatic library membership.
Ernie White, Leicestershire’s Cabinet member for Community Services, said: “I’m delighted that the Minister could come to Oadby, to see how lively and popular a library can be.
“The first book borrowed since we reopened was called ‘Second to None’ – that’s an apt title for this library, which really is at the heart of the community.”
Chief executive of the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA), Roy Clare, said: “I have had a preview of Oadby library and my impression is that it will be a hugely successful community library in a busy high street location. The concept is engaging, open, friendly and there really is something there for everyone.
“This approach reflects the considerable care that Leicestershire library service is taking to deliver high quality services in the way that local people want, especially in a time of recession. I offer my warm congratulations on their work and on this important opening.”
The library’s features include:
• An extensive range of books, DVDs and music CDs and newspapers and magazines
• Comfortable seating, with special areas for children and for teenagers
• Free use of computers and wi-fi internet access
• CD listening posts, so people can enjoy music and talking books
• A Fairtrade coffee machine
• A service centre for Oadby and Wigston Borough Council
• Opening until 8pm on Mondays to Thursdays, plus 11am-4pm opening on Sundays

For further details, see www.leics.gov.uk/libraries

Family win Wii in library storywriting competition

The Johnston family from Braunstone Town are celebrating winning a Nintendo Wii . The prize was awarded to the family for creating their own version of a traditional story for Telling Tales, a story writing competition run by Leicestershire Library Services for the Family Learning Festival that took place in October.

Their winning story Little Red Hoody was a contemporary version of the traditional tale which tackled issues around bullying in a light but sensitive way.  What made the story extra special was that three generations of the family had spent the day together out in the woods dressing up and bringing their version of the story to life. “We not only got to have a good fun day out, but also appreciated spending extra time together as a family planning our story and problem solving together,” said Mr Johnston.

Children from Chatterbooks, the library services’ reading groups for children, helped to judge the 80 entries for the Telling Tales competition which was just one of the Big Book Bash activities put on by Leicestershire Library Services to help bring stories to life for the Family Learning Festival.

The adult judges of the competition were impressed by the number and quality of the entries.

“It’s clear that the Wii has been a great incentive in getting families together to create their stories – the results of their efforts are outstanding”.

Details of all prize winners can be found on the libraries website .

www.leics.gov.uk/family_learning_week