HELENSBURGH’S Community Hub is set to launch Argyll and Bute’s first Dolly Parton Imagination Library next month, giving children more chances to enjoy reading.
The programme, named after the country music star, is a book gifting programme which sees enrolled children from birth to age five receive a book every month free of charge.
And the community hub has revealed in a report to community chiefs that they will hold the council area’s first public launch of the project on Friday, December 2.
The programme will be offered in the hub’s core area of Helensburgh Central and East during 2023, with a view to extending to the north and west of the town the following year.
The details are given in a report to go before Argyll and Bute Council’s Helensburgh and Lomond Community Planning Group on Tuesday, November 8.
A spokesperson for the hub said: “As an affiliate we will fund the wholesale price of the books, which is £25 per child, per year and promote the scheme in our area and support registration. The Dolly Parton Imagination Library does the rest.
“Initially we are using a percentage of Book Nook income and we will be fundraising throughout 2023 as uptake increases and to widen the coverage area.
“We are also working with the Live Argyll community learning team and Helensburgh library to offer parent/child storytime sessions to encourage families to read together and to support adult literacy and digital literacy.
“The key to the success of this project will be making eligible families aware of it so the hub would like to work with all statutory, third sector and commercial organisations to increase awareness of the Imagination Library.”
More information on the Imagination Library programme is available at imaginationlibrary.co.uk and anybody interested in working with the hub to support it can contact development manager Gill Simpson at manager@helensburghcommunityhub.org.uk
The report also revealed that the hub is working on “an exciting book event” for World Book Day 2023, which takes place on Thursday, March 2.
The plans are at an early stage and more details will be available for the Community Planning Group’s next meeting on Tuesday, February 14.
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