The free Monday book club in the Woodhouse Community Hub has a warm and inviting atmosphere for children and parents of the area access books and to socialise.
The book club, formed in August by Holly Burkinshaw, 36, of Kirkdale Crescent, was established to provide the local children of Woodhouse with a comfortable space to develop their reading and social skills in a community centre close to home.
Holly Burkinshaw has a background in early years education and a degree in education and disability studies.
She admitted while there are other centres and libraries in Sheffield that offer services encouraging young children to read, the Woodhouse Community Hub, which has stood since 2014, did not.
Mrs Burkinshaw said: “When I had my own children, I noticed that most libraries did amazing jobs at engaging children. They had book clubs and activities that fostered a love of reading. Woodhouse is our local library and I was frustrated that it didn’t offer the same services as some of the other libraries. Some parents were taking their kids all over the place.
“It just made sense to me. With my experience and knowledge, I had to start this book club for my local library.”
She also highlighted that with the recession, the free model of the book club helps to invite further parents to the community centre without the pressure of a donation or subscription.
Kirsty Saunders, 38, of Stradbroke Road, and her daughter have been attending the book club since September.
Mrs Saunders pointed to the social benefits that the weekly club provides for herself and her daughter, as well as the encouragement to make children read and the accessibility to books.
She said: “Emma loves the library. It’s nice because she’s an only child and she’s quite a shy kid, really. We live just over the road, She’d be here all day every day if she could.
“It’s been really nice having more of a local community actually. That’s really hard to do outside the areas of the city realistically like Nether Edge, Hillsborough Wood Seats. Those are the areas where the parents who pay for the groups like this”, said Mrs Saunders.
The Woodhouse Community Club and the book club could not function without the volunteers at the centre and the Hub Activities Co-ordinator, Elizabeth Turton, 57.
Mrs Turton underlined how she thinks books and social interactions are necessary for young children’s educational and social development.
“Picking up a physical book is so important. It’s essential that kids don’t just sit down and mess with an iPad or watch the television all the time,” Mrs Turton said.
“Learning how to get on with other children, sharing, playing and even being told off a times are some of the most important things a child can learn.”
The Woodhouse Community book clubs runs weekly on Mondays 12-1pm.
