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Nominations open for Bookbug Hero Award


By Kyle Ritchie

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People in the north-east can now make nominations for the Bookbug Hero Award.

Scottish Book Trust, the national charity changing lives through reading and writing, has announced that nominations for the accolade are now open.

Run in association with Walker Books, it aims to honour someone working with Bookbug who has used the programme to make a real difference to the lives of the young children, families and communities they work with.

Scottish Book Trust is asking people across the country to nominate a librarian, early years worker, volunteer, health visitor, or anyone who uses Bookbug in their work.

The winner will receive a special trophy and a bundle of picture books worth £500 from Walker Books.

Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust, said: “Scottish Book Trust is pleased to welcome nominations for the Bookbug Hero Award: a prize that celebrates the fantastic work of our Bookbug practitioners across Scotland.

"Without the hard work of those in libraries, early years settings and through the health service, many young children would not know the joy of sharing stories, songs and rhymes.

"Our thanks to Walker Books for supporting the prize and allowing us to recognise these heroes in the local community.”

Kylie Watt, nursery practitioner at Longridge Nursery and winner of the Bookbug Hero Award 2021, said: “I was extremely honoured to have won the Bookbug Hero Award for 2021.

"It affirmed my passion and vision as an educator to actively encourage the joys, benefits, and motivations of reading from a young age.

The Bookbug Hero Award winner for 2021 Kylie Watt.
The Bookbug Hero Award winner for 2021 Kylie Watt.

"Nominating your colleagues allows them to share their best practice, passing on new ideas and skills and importantly acknowledging their efforts and successes.”

Bookbug is Scotland’s national book gifting programme, for every baby, toddler, three and five-year-old in Scotland.

There are also two Bookbug books in the Scottish Government’s Baby Box scheme, gifted pre-birth.

The programme is managed by Scottish Book Trust and run in partnership with libraries, health professionals and nurseries.

It benefits from sponsorship from children’s publishers and central funding from the Scottish Government through a grant from the Children and Families Directorate.

Bookbug Sessions are run by local libraries or community groups, with training for practitioners provided by Scottish Book Trust and funded by Creative Scotland's Youth Music Initiative.

These are free, fun-filled story and rhyme sessions for babies to four-year-olds, attended by thousands of parents and children a year.

In normal times 27,000 in-person Bookbug Sessions happen across Scotland every year. Many of these were delivered online during the pandemic.

The targeted outreach programme, Bookbug for the Home, trains early years practitioners to give support to families on a one-to-one basis. They work in every local authority in Scotland.

Scottish Book Trust also supports the delivery of Dolly Parton Imagination Library in Scotland – free books delivered monthly to every looked after and adopted child aged up to five.

Publishing director at Walker Books Jane Winterbotham said: “The Bookbug Hero Award highlights all the fantastic staff who run Bookbug programmes across their communities, and we are delighted that we can continue to show our appreciation and support of that work by sponsoring the award.

"The award shows appreciation for practitioners who champion reading and work tirelessly to change lives through stories. We look forward to hearing more about the next Bookbug Hero.”

Nominations for the Bookbug Hero Award can be made online via Scottish Book Trust’s website. The closing date for nominations is Friday, November 26.


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