I just wrapped up the most amazing five days working alongside talented authors, illustrators, and poets! 🎉 A huge thank you to the incredible team at Blackburn with Darwen libraries and @blackburndarwen for all their help and support! 🙌 Their dedication to promoting literacy and creativity are invaluable. More coming next week! 📚✨ #LiteracyMatters #CommunityEngagement #BlackburnDarwenLibraries

Today we engaged with hundreds of children in schools and libraries for the Blackburn with Darwen @ChildrensLFests @blackburndarwen Huge thanks @UrsulaHurstArt @HilsRobinson illustrator Chris Mould & poet Dommy B. #carshare

Today, I'm travelling across the Pennines for the 8th Blackburn & Darwen Literature Festival working with the #library service team! 📚✨ I’m excited to have an amazing team of authors, illustrators, and poets joining us, ready to inspire children and young people while helping to raise #aspirations. Our festivals are inclusive and free, ensuring that everyone can participate and enjoy the positivity of storytelling! We’re looking forward to engaging with thousands of children, young people, and families from across the borough. The festival wouldn’t be possible without funding - Huge thanks to all who realise the value in these festivals: @blackburndarwen @DarwenCouncil @CommunityCVS @BwDLibraries @spotonlancs Darwen Rotary, Lloyds Trust Not forgetting our wonderful patron of @ChildrensLFests @4JennyAgutter for her continued support. #Blackburn #Darwen #Literacyforall #CommunityEngagement

I’m always grateful to our wonderful patron of @ChildrensLFests @4JennyAgutter I’ve known Jenny for over twenty years, and she has always been a tremendous support and a genuine inspiration. She selflessly dedicates her time to many charitable organisations. We at @childrensLfests focus our efforts on children, young people, and communities in areas of deprivation. For each literature festival, I organise an initiative to encourage children and young people to write about various topics. This year, the theme is "My Favourite Space or Place" across the borough. @blackburndarwen, There will be a prize of a £200 @Waterstones voucher for the Blackburn with Darwen school with the most entries, followed by a £100 voucher for the individual winner and a £50 voucher for the runner-up. The initiative is open until August 25th, with winners to be judged by Actress Jenny Agutter OBE, Councillor Phil Riley, Cynthia Johnson, a lecturer in the History of the Book at the University of London, Blackburn with Darwen Libraries, and myself. I’m excited to see the creativity that emerges from this initiative, as it will serve as helpful inspiration for writing the sequel to "Believe in Magic," which I was commissioned to write during the pandemic to help bring magic back into the town. I look forward to seeing the wonderful stories and poems that come from our young writers!

Here’s the final lineup for our 8th Blackburn with Darwen Literature Festival! @ChildrensLFests Since launching the first festival in Blackburn in 2018, we’ve helped to engage with over 25,000 children and families and gifted more than 12,000 books. Throughout this journey, i’ve encouraged children to express their creativity by writing about important topics, ranging from plastic pollution to kindness. Over the years, our festival sessions have taken place in a variety of wonderful locations in the borough, including @bbcollegelib @bbcollege @bbcathedral @KingGeorgesHall @BlackburnMarket @Mall_Blackburn @BwDLibraries @DarwenLTheatre I’m looking forward to welcoming @ChrisMouldInk, @UrsulaHurstArt @sairas_writes @HilsRobinson @GrandadWheels Reyhana Ismail @SalmasBAcademy @wrongsemble @GavCross Dommy B poet, and @RappamanDC I’m excited to continue this tradition of promoting literacy and creativity in the community in partnership and funding from Blackburn with Darwen Libraries, @blackburndarwen @CommunityCVS @DarwenCouncil @RotaryDarwen Lloyds Trust Darwen, and Rekindle @spotonlancs

I’m excited to announce that I’ve received a global recognition award for Youth Initiative of the Year for my work on @ChildrensLFests - This recognition is for the dedication and effort put into providing children with access to free literature and fostering a love for reading. I’m very grateful to everyone who supports my mission and initiatives, which includes the national book awards currently taking place in Blackpool, Blackburn, Darwen, Keighley, Hull, Doncaster, Liverpool, Oldham, Newcastle, Fleetwood, Birmingham, Salisbury, and Gloucester. During the awards process they invited over 90,000 businesses and corporate professionals, magazine contributors and subscribers to nominate individuals which they felt were deserving. 🤗 Thanks to my fellow Trustees, Kate Eady, Joyce Howie, and Tracy Foley for their continued support. In 2019, I established Children's Literature Festivals with the mission of providing children from all backgrounds, cultures, and abilities access to free literary festivals and books. To date, i’ve organised fourteen festivals with the support of hundreds of dedicated volunteers, including actress Jenny Agutter OBE and Michael Bradley from The Undertones as patrons. Special thanks to Soroptimist-Yorkshire for their much valued and continued support. These festivals have been a tremendous success, engaging thousands of children and families in our communities. Extra special thanks to @blackburndarwen @BwDLibraries @KeighleyLibrary @TownKeighley and @DarwenCouncil for their continued support over the years. I am thrilled to announce that we will be holding our eighth festival in Blackburn with Darwen, spanning over two weeks in mid-June. @4JennyAgutter @RoyalVolService