Sheffield Bookstart programme

Sheffield Libraries' Annual Report on its Books for Babies programme makes fascinating reading, showing the great impact the programme has had on local communities.

Steve Weatherill reads Goz the gosling to children in Sheffield

Bookstart related activities and events

April 2000

Sheffield has started Crawl and Climb sessions in their libraries, including storytimes for under 3s as well as more strenuous activities. Sheffield is also running a Books for Babies promotion month in June with talks and activities for families.

Sheffield has also organised to take a book trolley round the hospital and give Bookstart information to new mums.

David Blunkett presenting the 500,000th pack

Million books celebration

April 2000

David Blunkett, Minister of Education, presented the 500,000th pack, to baby Jessica Corker and her mother Kay, at Firth Pack Library in Sheffield on 10 March 2000.

There are now 200 Bookstart schemes in operation. A celebration book was compiled with comments and photos from schemes, and presented to Sainsbury's at the Leeds launch on 17 April 2000.

Free books to celebrate the Millennium

March 2000

"To celebrate the millennium, the nation's babies are being given the ultimate present – free books.

Bookstart is administered by the independent charity the Book Trust and is designed to encourage sharing books with babies. In Sheffield, Bookstart also has a successful partnership with Community Health Sheffield and the Sheffield College.

The Bookstart project has now been operating in Sheffield for seven months. Parent with their babies, attending clinics of the 7–9 month health checks are told about Bookstart and then given a voucher to take to their local library or mobile library. Here, babies are enrolled at the library and given their free Bookstart bag. It contains two baby board books, Bookstart library ticket, a booklet giving advice on sharing books with babies, local library leaflets, and rhyming place mat.

Health visitors are the vital link in the Bookstart project. Time spent with the parents is invaluable, giving encouragement to call at their local library and redeem the voucher for the Bookstart bag. This personal touch is the key to the success in the take-up of Bookstart.

There are now around 250 Sainsbury's Bookstart schemes in operation across the UK, stretching quite literally from Lands End to John O'Groats and from County Fermanagh to Great Yarmouth! 366,000 Bookstart packs have been delivered to schemes so far. There are still more schemes due to start up this year."

Local illustrator commissioned

Kath Navratil and storyteller Steve Weatherill

March 2000

"We have just commissioned a local illustrator to give us a set of designs we can use for Sheffield Books for Babies publicity material: posters, postcards, birthday cards etc."

Kath Navratil
Books for Babies Co-ordinator