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Saturday clubs to launch across Gloucestershire Libraries

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Free activities for young children and their families are to be held in libraries across the county in regular Saturday sessions.

Gloucestershire Libraries are launching Saturday Clubs for children as part of a new initiative called Family Focus.

This new offer will be available to families on selected Saturdays all year round and will be open to all Gloucestershire children and their parents or carers.

The first sessions will take place in Gloucester, Hucclecote, Longlevens and Cinderford Libraries on Saturday 28 October, with activities rolling out to all libraries throughout November and beyond.

The project will include a range of free creative activities, workshops and opportunities for children of all ages and their families, with a strong focus on Early Years, hard to reach communities and non-traditional library users.

Family Focus plays a key part in the recent award of Gloucestershire Libraries becoming a National Portfolio Organisation, with funding for three years. Sessions planned so far include dance workshops specifically inclusive for neurodiverse children, Malaysian magical horse making, yoga and mindfulness, drama workshops and much more, all under a magical and fantasy theme from October to December 2023.

Hundreds of individual sessions will be delivered in libraries across the county, with all 32 county libraries having a designated session per month.

This non-digital project will focus on increasing creativity, dexterity, learning, literacy, and interaction with others, helping to combat some of the effects left on children and families since 2020.

Free tickets will be available soon via the Library catalogue and released throughout the year for individual library events. To discover events and book onto sessions, visit gloucestershire.spydus.co.uk

To keep up to date with themes and sessions coming to a library near you, follow Gloucestershire Libraries on social media (Facebook – @GloucestershireLibraries, Instagram - @gloucestershire_libraries, X - @gloslibs).

Cllr Dave Norman, cabinet member for libraries, said: “This is a fantastic initiative which aims to encourage families to spend quality time together and reduce isolation, as well as provide cultural and creative opportunities to communities across the whole of Gloucestershire.

“The clubs are completely free to attend and I would encourage all families to take a look at what’s coming up in their local library.”