2006 What a year for Trafford Libraries' readers!
I shall always have fond memories of 2006 in Trafford Libraries not only because we held our very first literature festival - Wordfest (more of which later), but having the opportunity of working with lots of wonderful people on a varied and diverse range of events which all had one element uniting them - they were all celebrations of books and reading.
"What a lovely way to spend a Saturday afternoon", said one reader when she joined an appreciative audience to hear our panel of four writers Chris Simms, Ron Ellis, Livi Michaels and Kate Long read from their own work and talk about their own book choices in March at The Waterside Arts Centre. This was Trafford Libraries' event as part of the successful Time To Read Here and Now promotion showcasing northwest writers.
The year also saw the culmination of the highly successful Big Gay Read and we were delighted to welcome Jake Arnott to Waterside. As well as being a popular and critically-acclaimed writer, he also proved to be an amusing and entertaining speaker.
Later in the year the same venue was also playing host to several events in our month-long Wordfest programme. We were spellbound listening to Four Fathers talk about their relationships with their fathers - many of the people who came to the event were also moved to speak of their fathers - an inspiring and unforgettable evening. In the Lauriston Gallery at Waterside, Martyn Bedford and a group of knowledgeable readers talked about war in fiction.
Altrincham Library played host to Poetry and Pimm's - Grevel Lindop and Sophie Hannah read from their work and a good time was had by all who attended this rather special evening dedicated to poetry. Erica James the 2006 Romantic Novelist of the Year spent a whole day in Trafford and entertained her reading fans at Davyhulme and Hale Libraries with readings and anecdotes. These were just some of the highlights of Wordfest - there were many more.
We hadn't forgotten our younger readers when we had planned Wordfest and they and their families enjoyed listening to Brian Jacques talk about his Redwall characters again at Waterside. And children from our Orange Chatterbooks reading groups and their families were treated to a day out at Crosby Beach to see Another Place - the life-sized iron figures sculpted by Antony Gormley. We joined other families in the northwest to celebrate Ted Hughes' books The Iron Man and The Iron Woman.
Our work on the successful Premier League Reading Stars - a family reading scheme also continued with a presentation of certificates in The Premier Suite, Old Trafford completing the successful 2006 project. Smiling parents watched as their delighted children from Timperley and Woodsend Libraries and two Salford libraries received their certificates and a handshake from Manchester United star John O' Shea who later stayed to sign books, posters and shirts!
And at "the other Old Trafford" many sports fans and readers of all ages turned up to enjoy Booked! A day of reading and sport aimed at the whole family organised by Time To Read.
Will 2007 be as exciting as 2006? Certainly hope so!
