Thousands of schoolchildren across the South West are set to receive free books through an exciting new initiative designed to ignite a love of reading and ensure every child experiences the magic of owning a book.
The Bath Children’s Literature Festival has launched its Share The Story campaign, inviting the public to help raise funds to provide books for pupils in state schools. This initiative guarantees that children attending the festival’s Schools Programme will not only meet authors and illustrators firsthand but also take home a copy of a book written by the very creators they meet.
Last year, the campaign successfully funded over 4,000 books for students from 51 schools across Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset, and Wiltshire. Building on this success, festival organizers aim to reach even more children in 2025.
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Renowned author and illustrator Rob Biddulph praised the campaign, saying, “I absolutely love this Share the Story initiative. Owning a book of your own is truly special, and it’s fantastic that the Bath Children’s Literature Festival is making this possible for every child attending their events. Anything that sparks a love of stories and fires up young imaginations gets a big thumbs-up from me.”
The 2025 Schools Programme will run from Monday, September 29, to Friday, October 3, featuring appearances by some of the UK’s most celebrated children’s writers and illustrators, including Waterstones Children’s Laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Robin Stevens, Martin Brown, Sue Hendra, Pamela Butchart, Philip Reeve, Sarah McIntyre, Ben Miller, Louis Stowell, Luke Scriven, and poet Joseph Coelho alongside illustrator Fiona Lumbers.
In 2024, the festival attracted more than 16,000 visitors and continues to promote a passion for reading, writing, and illustration among young audiences.
Supporters can contribute directly to the Share The Story campaign through the GivenGain crowdfunding page or while booking tickets for the family programme on the festival’s website.
Founded in 2007 by John and Gill McLay, who remain the artistic directors, the Bath Children’s Literature Festival is part of the charity Bath Festivals and is proudly presented in association with Longleat.