Manchester Libraries won the prestigious “Library Of The Year” award at the British Book Awards 2025, held at Grosvenor House in London on Monday 12 May.
The award was given in recognition of Manchester Libraries’ city-wide Blue Peter Book Club Live programme, which according to the judges made “superb” use of the Blue Peter brand to encourage children and families to explore reading and local libraries.
The programme was launched at Manchester Central Library on Saturday 18 May 2024 and was a free, day-long event hosted by Blue Peter presenters Abby, Joel and Sini and attended by author Eve Ainsworth and Children’s Laureate Joseph Coelho.
The aim was to encourage visits from people who have never, or very rarely, visit libraries, and was attended by more than 7,500 people.
The day also included a badge trail around the city, which provided children with trail maps and families with a day of exploring new parks, libraries and museums all around Manchester.
The event was organised by Manchester City Council, Blue Peter and The Reading Agency and resulted in an 88% visitor increase compared to a typical Saturday and a 33% increase in children’s library membership compared to 2023.
Manchester Libraries was the British Book Awards’ winner for North England and triumphed over nine other regional and national finalists, selected from 36 entries across the UK and Ireland.
Main image credit Lucinda Walton
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