You are viewing your 1 free article this month. Login to read more articles.
The Shrewsbury Children's Bookfest has been awarded a Queen's Awards for Voluntary Service. Shrewsbury Children’s Bookfest has received the award for its work in bringing books alive for children, young people and families in and around Shrewsbury.
The Bookfest Organising Committee runs a children’s literary festival each May and a smaller ‘Mini-Bookfest’ in November featuring children’s authors and illustrators. It also organises an Authors in Schools Week in March, which this year gave more than 3,000 children in local primary schools the chance to meet an author, illustrator or storyteller.
Bookfest Organising Committee chair, Sophie Peach, said: "We are extremely honoured to have received this award, particularly as this year we are celebrating our tenth anniversary. We are very grateful for the tremendous support and goodwill we have received over the years from local organisations, businesses, schools and families. And we’re grateful to the wonderful authors and illustrators who have come to Shrewsbury and enthused and inspired so many thousands of children."
The honour, which is the equivalent to an MBE will be awarded in Shropshire by a representative of the Queen. The committee will receive a certificate signed by the Queen and an exclusive commemorative crystal.
The Shrewsbury Children’s Bookfest is one of 95 volunteering groups from across the UK that has won an award this year. The winners were selected from 406 groups nominated by members of the public.