AFTER THE successful introduction of their latest ‘Buddy’ Bench project, the community-focused team at Wellington Square Shopping Centre presents ‘Little Libraries’.
These huts of literature welcome a ‘Leave a Book, Take a Book’ ethos to let the community share its love for reading and make it accessible to all.
The Buddy Benches were launched earlier this year in partnership with Wellington Square shopping centre, Holy Trinity Rosehill Primary School and Middlesbrough and Stockton Mind.
Wellington Square’s Marketing Manager Chantal Taylor recruited the pupils of Holy Trinity Rosehill Primary to help to design a bench that would encourage people to sit down and take time out from the busy world around them. The winning design, by Charlotte McDonald, has now been painted onto the bench, outside iStation so that everyone can enjoy the colourful design that is sure to put a smile on everyone’s faces.
Next to this bench now sits two Little Libraries to continue to invite the local community to sit down and engage with each other. Perhaps over the love of a new book. The team at Wellington Square are very passionate readers and to be able to combine their love of reading with assisting the community has been a key focus in this project.
The Little Libraries come not long after the team’s award-winning successful launch of the charity book Stockton Stories. This book created a record of what the coronavirus pandemic has been like for children in the Teesside community. The book has not just been acknowledged by members of parliament but by the late Her Majesty the Queen! So far, over £400 has been raised for Bookmark, the reading charity, and books are still selling as well as being featured in nine libraries across the borough.
The brand-new Little Libraries work on a ‘Leave a book, Take a book’ system where shoppers are encouraged to donate books they have finished reading and take a new book to read.
This creates a totally free way to read, engage and support the local community of Stockton. Bringing stories to those who may not have access to them and bringing the community together over a shared love of reading.
Chantal Taylor said ‘We are so proud to bring our love for reading into the community after our successful and award-winning launch of a charity book. The Little Libraries now installed next to our Buddy Bench is for the community to engage positively with one another and we are very proud of the local area and humbled by the people we share our centre with.’
The Little Libraries can be found next to the Buddy Bench outside iStation at Wellington Square Shopping Centre in Teesside.