Family Festival 2025 - One month on

A month on from the Gloucestershire Family Festival 2025, we have been reflecting on the connections it helped build with families across the county.

Seventeen family events took place across the week of October half term and in the days surrounding it, in a wide range of trusted community settings and distinctive local venues. Across these events, we spoke with 488 people, including 202 adults and 286 children, who engaged with library staff, activities and displays.

These sessions included pop up library visits, simple hands on crafts and relaxed early years activities. Families enjoyed spending time together, browsing books and speaking with staff in a friendly and informal setting. Many told us that they learned something new about the library during their interaction with us.

One parent shared their enthusiasm for future opportunities, telling us:
“We would love a Next Gen session at Cheltenham Lab.”

Another family expressed how important the library is to young readers:
“My great grandson is an avid reader and loves his local library.”

Feedback also showed that there is an appetite for future involvement, with many attendees saying they would like to see more library activities at community events.

For some families, the Festival served as a reminder of what the library already provides. For others, it helped increase awareness of services they were less familiar with and encouraged them to stay connected with future events. We also spoke with many existing members who had not visited for some time, and several told us they felt encouraged to return and make more use of their local library. 

We are grateful to all the families who joined us, to the partners who worked with us and to the staff who helped provide welcoming and accessible spaces for family engagement. The feedback received will help shape how we continue reaching families and supporting children’s literacy and wellbeing across Gloucestershire.

If you would like to explore other upcoming family sessions and activities, please see our event listings on this website or ask at your local library.