World Book Day Celebrated With Launch Of New Weekly Bookbug Sessions In Cumbernauld

World Book Day takes place on Thursday 3 March 2022, with Cornerstone House Centre marking the occasion by inviting parents to book onto a new five-week round of the popular children’s reading programme Bookbug.

Bookbug, which will take place every Thursday during March at Cornerstone House Centre’s community-owned building at Esk Walk in Cumbernauld, provides an opportunity for mums, dads and carers to enjoy sharing stories, songs and rhymes with their little ones in a safe, friendly and informal environment.

The free provision will commence on Thursday 3 March 2022, with two time slots of 10.30am-10.55am and 11.15am-11.40am available, and weekly sessions will take place thereafter until Thursday 31 March 2022. Group leaders are trained to facilitate stories and songs in a fun and interactive way, targeted at children from birth to pre-school age.

Delivered as part of Cumbernauld Family Hub, Cornerstone House Centre is an affiliated partner of Scottish Book Trust and is experienced in supporting children and families to grow and positively develop through reading stories and singing songs together.

Those interested in attending can be assured that a full health and safety risk assessment in relation to coronavirus (COVID-19) has been undertaken and that Cornerstone House Centre as an organisation is committed to taking every reasonable step to ensure the safety of all visitors from the moment they enter until the moment they leave the building.

This includes social distancing, clear instructions for safe walking routes around the premises, the installation of several hand sanitising stations and Perspex screens at reception and other areas where Centre staff and volunteers are operating.

Bookbug provides opportunities for families to meet each other and have a change of scene and activities. Karen Lawson, Family Hub Development Officer at Cornerstone House Centre, said:

“We are really looking forward to welcoming children and adults back to Cornerstone House during March for our spring round of Bookbug.

“The sessions are full of enjoyment for children and promote positive interactions, relationships and emotional development.

“It is evident that Bookbug has made an extremely important contribution in effectively supporting families who face barriers to accessing services in Scotland over the last ten years, and Cornerstone House Centre has been proud to play a small part in its growth.

“Within Cumbernauld, delivery of the programme has enabled Cumbernauld Family Hub to reach and support families that it may otherwise not have had the opportunity to, in particular parents and guardians experiencing disadvantage or inequality as a result of health, finance, age or social status.

“Locally, it has been established that Bookbug has helped parents feel better equipped to play and interact with their children, improved the language and communication skills of toddlers, prepared children for adapting to nursery and increased the guardianship confidence of kinship carers.

“With the new round beginning on World Book Day 2022, children have the option of coming along in fancy dress if they feel comfortable to do so.”

In addition to the weekly sessions, Cumbernauld Family Hub is encouraging local families to make use of online Bookbug resources, including Bookbug’s Songs and Rhymes App, the Bookbug Song and Rhyme Library and the Bookbug Home Activities Hub.

Online Bookbug videos are also available through North Lanarkshire Libraries’ You Tube channel, with new content posted every week. Cornerstone House Centre, however, is one of the few organisations in North Lanarkshire currently delivering in-person Bookbug sessions.

Launched in 2010 by Scottish Book Trust with the backing of Scottish Government’s Improving Health and Wellbeing Division, Creative Scotland’s Youth Music Initiative and Public Health Scotland, Bookbug gives every child in Scotland four free bags of books as babies, toddlers, three and five year olds. The bags contain books and other resources for sharing songs and rhymes that are suited to their age.

For further information or to reserve places on Bookbug, please contact Cornerstone House Centre on 01236 739220 or email familyhub@cornerstone-house.org.uk, remembering to state which start time you are booking into.

Click Here to Download Bookbug Information Poster for March 2022