Category: LIBRARY NEWS

What’s happening in Falkirk’s libraries

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Schools out – time to sign up for the Summer Reading Challenge!

Go on a Space Chase this summer!

The 2019 Summer Reading Challenge celebrates two big anniversaries: It marks 20 years since the Challenge began and, even bigger, it’s the 50th anniversary of the Moon Landing!

Head to your local library and get stuck into reading. Finish the Challenge to claim your medal, free swim and free child’s entry to Blair Drummond Safari Park!

Check our what’s on page for a full list of all the great events happening all summer long.

How the Summer Reading Challenge works

  • Starts Saturday June 16th, ends Saturday 17th August, please try to register no later than Saturday 3rd August to give your family time to finish.
  • Anyone aged 4-12 can participate
  • Read 6 books over at least 3 visits to your local library
  • Borrow the books YOU like: stories, fact books, joke books, picture books or audiobooks!
  • Check our Summer Reading Challenge quick guide (PDF, 446KB)

Space Chase Rewards

Collect a poster, special stickers and other goodies as you work through the Challenge. When you finish you’ll receive 4 very special rewards:

  • Free Blair Drummond Child’s pass
    One free entry for the young person who finishes the Challenge. Just show your completed Challenge poster at the gate.
  • Free swim
    One free swim at one of the following Falkirk Community Trust swimming pools: Bo’ness Recreation Centre, Grangemouth Sports Complex or the Mariner Centre.
  • Medal and Certificate
    Pick this up when you finish or attend your library’s special medal ceremony. Your library will give you more information about this.

Check our Summer Reading Challenge Terms and Conditions (PDF, 221KB) for details and restrictions.

Take the Challenge online!

Visit the Summer Reading Challenge website to play games, add your books and enter competitions.

As you complete The Challenge you’ll collect stickers that have secret codes. Enter the codes on the website to unlock additional online content.

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Writing Rammy Winners 2017

The Writing Rammy is our all-ages creative writing competition. Entrants can be 5 or 105 – we believe everyone has a great story in them. Find out more about the Writing Rammy.

Here’s our winners from 2017.

Adult Category Winner – Pramface Off by Gary Oberg

15-17 category winner – The Arsonists Euphoria by Kate O’Growney

12-14 category winner – Forgotten Stories by Eva Varielle

8-11 category winner Ways NOT to ride a Cow by Lucy Waddell

Family Rammy winners – the Gold family

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Summer in Falkirk Libraries

This summer libraries are packed with amazing activities to spark the imagination and inspire creation! We’ve even got a thing or two for adults.

We’re reaching for the stars, as 2019 marks the 20th anniversary of the Summer Reading Challenge. It’s also the 50th anniversary of the moon landing, so you’ll find many of our activities have a space theme, including our Space Chase summer reading challenge for primary-age children.

All activities are listed at the foot of the page, but include:

Space Chase Summer Reading Challenge

The Summer Reading Challenge encourages reluctant readers and rewards youngsters who can’t get enough of books. It’s suitable for primary age children.

Read six books over at least 3 visits to the library and collect a poster, stickers and other cool rewards. Finish to claim a free swim and a child’s pass to Blair Drummond Safari Park.

Reading Rammy – a reading challenge for teens and adults!

Stuck in reading rut? Choosing the same sort of books and authors? Join the Reading Rammy and take on a challenge to revitalise your reading and brighten up your summer.

Pick up a leaflet at your local library. You’ll find nine challenges, but you only need to do four. When you’re done, pop the books you’ve read on the leaflet and return it to the library for the chance to win Howgate vouchers or book tokens!  

Find more information here on the blog. Remember, mums and dads – kids are more likely to read if they see you doing it too!

Writing Rammy

Falkirk’s all-ages short story competition is back for its second year. It’s open to kids and adults. Families can even send in all their entries together for a chance to scoop our Family Rammy prize! We’ll have creative writing sessions for adults and children running in the holidays, so look out for these. Find out more about the Writing Rammy

Space Race science workshops will show you how to build shooting rockets, lunar modules and find out more about aliens.
Comic art workshops with professional comic artist Gary Erskine . Gary has worked with most of the major publishers, including DC and Marvel.
Family storytimes with author Emily Dodd
Craft Sessions, Lego events and STEAM workshops, including coding robots and graphic design

Looking for more information?

Ask at your local library or visit us online:

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Writing Rammy Returns

(try saying that 5 times fast…)

Writing Rammy squirrel

Falkirk Libraries annual short fiction competition, is back for its third year.

The Writing Rammy is open to all ages, whether you’re 5 or 105. Taking part couldn’t be easier; all you have to do is write a short piece of fiction or poetry about anything you choose. You can even send in entries from your whole family for a chance to claim our Family Rammy prize.

We celebrate the competition with a special event during Book Week Scotland and winners are invited – if they choose, no pressure – to read their piece aloud.

Entries will be judged by a panel from Falkirk Community Trust Libraries. A winner and a runner up will be chosen in each of the following categories:

  • Junior 12 and under 
  • Teen 13 -17
  • Best Family Entry* (Family Rammy)

Family Rammy

For a chance to scoop our Family Rammy prize, get together with the other members of your family and each write a story or poem and send in your entries together. We want everyone to take part – mums, dads, grannies, uncles, big brothers, cousins… the whole family!

But seriously, Family Rammy entries don’t need to involve lots of people – it can involve as little as one entry from and adult and one entry from a child in the same family.

Previous winners

Key dates

  • Competition opens: Saturday 15th June
  • Competition closes: Thursday 31st October
  • Winners announced: November
  • Winners’ ceremony: During Book Week Scotland

How to enter

  • Word limits: 250 words if you are aged 12 and under, up to 500 words if you are 13 or over.
  • All entries should clearly state your name, age, address, tel. no and email address.
  • Word processed entries should be emailed (preferred) to WritingRammy@falkirkcommunitytrust.org by midnight on Thursday 31st October.

You may hand in word processed/typed entries to any library in the Falkirk area by 3pm on the closing date. Please note: Slamannan Library closes at 5pm on Friday and reopens 2pm on Mondays.

Writing Rammy Rules

Terms and conditions apply. Please read the rules  before submitting your entry. Copies of these rules are also available in all Falkirk Community Trust Libraries.

Print a poster!

Feel free to display a Writing Rammy poster in your work, school or any place that may catch budding writers!