Balloons, music and dancing took over the Hayward Room as the library team hosted a special Read & Rave party to celebrate the National Year of Reading and BBC Children in Need.
About 90 children and adults were expected at the event, which combined a CBeebies Bedtime Story with a colourful dance party, live-streamed from the British Library.
And it proved an instant hit, with all 60 tickets made available to the public snapped up within hours of their release. Three pre-school nurseries were also invited to join the fun.
Jodie Hearn, the library’s head of children and young people’s services, said she was delighted by the response.
‘It’s such a joyful celebration of reading,’ she said.
‘It makes me really happy that so many people are excited to join in and celebrate with us. It’s definitely something we’d love to do again.’
She said bringing families together to enjoy the show in the town library was more special than watching from home.
‘It makes it more engaging, more memorable,’ she said.
Among those making memories was Marina Le Prevost and her two-year-old granddaughter, Una.
‘We watch this on the telly all the time, she loves it,’ she said.
‘But it’s nice to all be here together, it’s a great atmosphere. The library’s fantastic – it really caters for everybody.’
Miss Hearn said the party was an opportunity to show that Guille-Alles is about much more than borrowing books. She said the refurbishment of the children’s library a few years ago had helped attract more families, with activities ranging from storytelling to singing.
‘We’ve found a lot more people coming in,’ she said.
‘Children are definitely still enjoying books, and we try to fit in as much as possible to keep them entertained. Reading is so important, but it’s also about getting them to use it as a community space – which they do.’
You need to be logged in to comment.