Children’s Promise

Winner: Schools Library Service, Hull

Hull Schools’ Library Service offer schools so much more than that which is stated on their core offer: they invest so much time, knowledge and passion in to improving reading outcomes of children and young people in all of their schools.

Knowing the importance of creating schools that have reading at their heart, and the impact this will have on developing children who love to read for pleasure, the Hull team have worked tirelessly since the introduction of the Reading Framework to completely transform the services and resources they offer schools, ensuring that not only are schools provided with the resources they need to do this, but also initiatives that will develop lifelong readers for pleasure, and training to ensure that this is done sustainably to ensure longevity of impact.

Runner-up: Jane Mellors, Hannah Pegg and Jo Brown, Hertfordshire

Jane, Hannah and Jo have brought the voices of young people to the fore in the development and delivery of library services in Hertfordshire, not just for now, but for the future too.

Individually, they each have a passion for libraries. Collectively, they have led significant cultural change, developed impactful partnerships, and transformed our relationship with young people.

Jane has been delivering high quality library services for young people throughout her long career in Hertfordshire. In her previous role she specialised in Early Years provision but has demonstrated that the same audience focussed approach also pays dividends when working with young adults.

Hannah joined as a library assistant and moved through operational and service development roles before being appointed as My Voice Project Officer in 2022. She was instrumental in securing Volunteering Futures funding to bring Youth Voice to the forefront.

Jo joined the public library service in 2012. She has long been the go to children’s stock expert, rising to the challenge of picking up My Voice mid-project and bringing her expertise to draw out hidden voices.

Culture and Creativity

Winner: Zoe Williams, Gail Mallett and James Ryan, Manchester

Using Arts Council England Funding the Manchester tean created a creative space in Wythenshawe Forum Library which is already a thriving, youth focussed venue bringing cultural and creative opportunities to peoples doorsteps.

The nominees have worked tirelessly, creatively and inspirationally to ensure the Forum Library creative space is a high quality venue which has already engaged with over 1000 local people.

Zoe Williams has led the team strategically, been crucial with partner development, seeking further funding opportunities and liaising with Arts Council England. 

James Ryan has developed local partnerships and been the creative brain, going above and beyond to make this happen, and ensure the launch and early months of the space is a massive success.

Gail Mallett has been instrumental in the operational side, successfully liaising and negotiating with a range of contractors to ensure our space was ready for the Grand Opening in October 2024.
 

Runner-up: Chris White, Devon Libraries – Libraries Unlimited

Chris White has transformed Exeter Library into a cultural powerhouse, curating an innovative and accessible events programme that engages and reflects the diverse needs of the community.

Chris is the Senior Supervisor for Development and Innovation at Exeter Library, responsible for its cultural programming as part of Libraries Unlimited’s NPO mandate. With a sharp understanding of the evolving role of libraries, Chris has positioned Exeter Library as a vibrant cultural hub in the heart of the city. From children’s theatre to opera, club nights to skill-building workshops, Chris’s creative vision caters to a broad audience, making art and culture accessible and inclusive. His dedication to partnerships, accessibility, and community-focused programming has not only enhanced the library’s reputation but also redefined its role in the city. Under his leadership, the library has seen unprecedented event attendance, growing from 19,000 attendees in 2022-23 to over 25,000 in 2024 (to date). Chris’s passion and innovative approach have made the library an essential part of Exeter’s cultural fabric.

Health and Wellbeing

Winner: Jake Tilling and Karen Seymour , Oxfordshire

Jake and Karen have led on the programme of Making Every Contact Count (MECC) in Oxfordshire for the last five to six years, taking it from very little engagement with customers around health issues, to having trained 44 MECC Champions (one in every branch) and nearly 10,000 interactions per year.

On top of busy jobs delivering and managing frontline services, Jake and Karen have both enthusiastically taken on this additional role, expertly training and motivating other managers/staff to ensure that MECC conversations are of high quality and effective. By implementing MECC across 44 libraries, they have embedded a preventative approach to ill health and improved health outcomes across Oxfordshire. 

Runner-up: Sarah Baker and Charlotte Strong, Nottinghamshire - Inspire

Sarah and Charlotte run the Inspire Charity Knitting Challenge, this year called Care Squares. Harnessing the power of the Knit and Natter groups and individuals across Nottinghamshire to knit for a common cause, the approach supports libraries to start new groups, supports customers to join a group and links all the participants through a collective goal for the charity partner.

Crafters made squares and squares became blankets and blankets were gifted. Designs were based on advice Sarah sought from the Dementia Action Nottingham and Nottinghamshire (DANN) on what and where the need for blankets is.

They consulted groups for ideas and secured funders and partners to make it happen whilst shouting loudly about it across the county and beyond encouraging libraries to offer more people the chance to make friends over a ball of wool.

Information and Digital

Winner: Natasha Nelson, Sahib Raj and Muireann McMenamy, London Borough of Newham

The Newham team have developed a range of services for residents experiencing Digital exclusion by listening to and responding to their needs. Over the last year, this has gone from strength to strength and has included establishing a digital champions network with frontline team members; creating volunteering opportunities; upskilling frontline colleagues in digital skills training; developing and embedding STEAM activity into the annual calendar of events; ensuring access to devices and data; setting up a device refurbishment scheme; and working with the Voluntary and Community sector (VCS) to increase reach. 

Runner-up: Mary Burgess, Cambridgeshire

Mary Burgess is a Local Studies Librarian with a responsibility for maintaining, enhancing, and promoting the Cambridgeshire Collection, and regional and branch Local Studies collections throughout the county. Less than two years in the role, Mary has drawn on their many years as a Local Studies Assistant to hit the ground running, undertaking stock work and recruitment, delivering staff training, events, social media campaigns and in person outreach work. Mary’s role as an advocate for the service is hugely impressive, delivering numerous tours and talks, attending events and networking with local societies and museums. In their own time, Mary continues to develop and advocate for local studies, successfully undertaking postgraduate studies and self-publishing non-fiction works about Cambridge (the profits of which are donated to Cambridgeshire Libraries). 

Reading

Winner: Sue Carmichael, Kent

Sue is a Book Club Ambassador volunteer for all the Books Beyond Words Book Clubs in Kent Libraries.  These groups are a safe space for anyone with a Learning Disability to meet new people and enjoy stories together, whatever their reading level as they use specially designed books exploring adult themes using pictures rather than words. Sue has used her expertise, experience and warm personality to nurture, support and encourage the attendees of Deal Library’s Books Beyond Words reading group so they have gained the full benefit of participating in a book group and using library services. 

Runner-up: Molly Bews, Newport

In the three months she has worked for Newport Libraries Molly has established meaningful relationships with numerous marginalised and socially excluded communities, breaking down barriers to access and providing access to services, in places of meaning to these new users, by listening and responding to their needs.  I am nominating Molly as I believe her approach should inspire for others. 

The vocational reading group with the National Youth Academy, that seeks to inspire socially excluded and vulnerable youth from Newport's most economically deprived wards to continue in or return to academia is just one small example of the exceptional work Molly is doing and the impact she is having. 

Vision and Print Impaired People's Promise (VPIPP)

Winner: Muhammad Haque, London Borough of Barking and Dagenham

Muhammad is a digital officer who has made it his mission to make library services inclusive. This includes digital access as he knows that most services and opportunities are available online. Muhammad uses his own life experiences as someone with disabilities so he can use that perspective to tenaciously keep going to make improvements in this cause. Furthermore, he uses feedback from the wide members of the community, of all ages to co-design solutions that are tailored to help people. As well as being an expert in technology, Muhammad is a trained Mental Health First Aider and Domestic Abuse Champion so ensures he puts peoples’ wellbeing and safety first. Muhammad is intersectional in his engagement and reaches out to the most marginalised including rough sleepers, those with severe disabilities, and those experiencing financial hardship. To make a sustained difference, Muhammad works well with the team, partners, community and residents.

Runner-up: Grace Lama, Hertfordshire

Grace was born blind, but her talent, determination and intelligence are by far her most noticeable features. 

She is an inspiration for the Hertfordshire team, customers, and partners, and her engaging personality makes her a proactive advocate for the inclusion and success of blind, vision and print impaired people.

She not only educated and discussed with the team all resources available for the blind and visually impaired, but also guided them through the different types of Braille writing and reading, raising awareness, and sparking curiosity to understand how public libraries can play an important role helping the blind and visually impaired to access different resources and unleash their potential.