We speak to the staff and guests at Seven Stories in Newcastle about what the centre has to offer the city’s children during the festive period and beyond.
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00:00We're the National Centre for Children's Books, we're a museum and gallery space full of lots
00:07of rooms for different activities, and we are a free entry venue, and we have lots of
00:16different events programmed, especially this Christmas, but throughout the year.
00:22I think especially now, children don't often read, especially outside of school, kids aren't
00:29really encouraged to read too much, there's a lot of technology taking over, and books
00:34are just so important for kids for language acquisition, but also just developing their
00:39creativity and playfulness.
00:42We're really proud of our Christmas programme, we have our fantastic mini-panto, which was
00:47written by one of our members of the team.
00:50We have festive story times, and festive crafts, along with lots of fun throughout the building.
00:58In summer school you can just do plays and stuff for like days, and you're allowed to
01:06bring your own toys, and what I like as well is you can have parties here, and it's free.
01:14The job is so fun, I get to interact with kids and the community, and just bring lots
01:20of smiles to people's faces, it's wonderful.
01:23Last year we did a pantomime as well, which was Jack and the Beanstalk, and this year
01:27we're doing Snow White and the Seven Stories.
01:29I am Snow White, and it's just a really fun pantomime, which is great for all ages, but
01:36it also always goes back to that deep-rooted love for books.
01:40The North East has some of the lowest literacy levels in the country, and here at Seven Stories
01:45we want to promote a love for learning and reading.
01:50We're really on a mission to make sure that every child, regardless of their background,
01:56gets to experience the joy and wonder of reading.