New funding for The Story Box!

We want to say a big thank you to The National Lottery Community Fund, which has awarded us a grant to support our work bringing free weekly Story Box sessions for under-5s to Spellow Library, Toxteth Library, and The Old Library! Our interactive sessions bring stories to life through storytelling, games, music and crafts! If you would like to join us, book your free place here.

The grant will also help us launch a brand-new group for under-1s later this year; the sessions will introduce babies to books, songs, yoga, and sensory play. More details coming soon!

Running for creativity!

On Sunday 6 September, a group of 4 wonderful women took part in the Women’s 5K and 10K to raise money for Creative Spaces Co.

Hollie, Zoe, Ashley and Nuala raised an incredible £ 600, which will help us deliver The Story Box in three libraries across Liverpool, support our book clubs, and bring a special Christmas event to Warbreck Moor Park!

Hollie, who took part, said, “One day I decided to step out of my comfort zone and attend Reading Folk in Huyton Library. I was probably at my lowest point mentally and physically from the early months of postpartum, then a second pregnancy. Months later, the friends I made at book club gave me the confidence to step out of my comfort zone again, but this time to get moving and feel powerful in my body and mind. Whilst training was tough, knowing I was raising funds for the same group that was responsible for my friendship group and support system gave me everything I needed to cross that line. The atmosphere on the day and the amazing women cheering me on made me feel powerful and strong, and it’s one of my proudest achievements. You’re never too old to be proud of winning a medal!”

Fundraise for Creative Spaces Co.

We’re taking part in Run for the 97 5K on Saturday 23 May! We’ll be fundraising to support our work bringing creative happenings to spaces across Merseyside.

From our weekly storytime events to book clubs to creative play, we bring the arts to spaces across our region.

If you would like to join our fundraising team and run, jog or walk the 5k course, sign up on the form below, and we’ll email you details about the fundraiser.

Never run before? Try the free 9 Week Couch to 5K app from the NHS to get started!

A year of creative happenings: 2025

Happy New Year! As we get ready for another year of bringing the arts to spaces across Liverpool City Region here’s our round up of 2025 🧡

• 407 children and their grown-ups joined us at least once to read, sing, play games and make crafts at our weekly Story Box sessions across our community venues.

• We hosted six Reading Folk Book Clubs across Liverpool and Knowsley, helping new mums find time to read for pleasure.

• Our 2024 Book Club read Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan, Witchcraft for Weyward Girls by Grady Hendrix, The Sirens by Emila Hart, Spoilt Creatures by Amy Twigg, Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks, I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman, The SafeKeep by Yael Van Der Wouden Hester by Laurie Lico Albanese, The Names by Florence Knapp.

• Over spring and Summer, we brought our creative pop-up to community spaces across the Liverpool City Region. We were delighted to be part of Knowsley Pride and join our friends at County Children’s Centre!

• Our fundraising team helped us raise over £1500 at the Run for the 97 and Women’s 10K events!

• We celebrated Walton Book Social’s first birthday, in partnership with Walton Vale Community Shop! In 2025 we read and enjoyed Playing Nice by JP Delaney, Weyward by Emila Hart, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë, Penance by Eliza Clarke, Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano, Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett, A Lesson in Cruelty by Harriet Tyce, The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave, Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano, The Art of A Lie by Laura Shepherd-Robinson, Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll, A Midwinters Tail by Lili Hayward.

• In the summer, we worked with Merseyside Play Action Council to host art workshops at their summer events and made lots of eco-flower pod cups. 

• We had a Spooktacular October half-term, bringing The Story Box at Hallowe’en to libraries, youth clubs and community centres across the city.

• In December, we brought Santa’s Grotto to Warbreck Moor Park. Over 100 children and their grown-ups met Santa, took home a gift and made a Christmas wreath with My Outdoor Classroom. 

• We were delighted to be part of Spellow Library’s Christmas celebrations and Mrs Claus joined us for a couple of stories!

• To end the year, we hosted our magical Christmas Story Box events and were joined by Rachel from Holistic Harmonies to sing and dance our way into the festive period!

Thank you National Lottery Community Fund!

We’ve got some exciting news to share…

We’ve been awarded funding from the National Lottery Community Fund to support our Reading Folk project, a Book Club for mums of children under 2 that meets weekly in Liverpool and Knowsley to chat over a good book and enjoy some grown-up company.

With this funding, we can deliver our popular sessions in Toxteth Library for mums across Liverpool, starting in September.