Peterborough Celebrates Reading and the National Literacy Trust have joined forces with creative producers Wild in Art to bring their iconic BookBench sculptures to Peterborough.

The BookBenches are set to inspire the city as part of Peterborough Celebrates Reading, a campaign to promote reading and boost literacy levels. Supported by the Vision for Reading, Peterborough Reads inspires the city to enjoy reading and helps parents and practitioners to support children’s literacy skills.

Schools, community groups and businesses will have the opportunity to be involved in this unique BookBench project, which will celebrate the city’s creativity and encourage children and families to talk about books and read together.
In spring 2020, decorated BookBench sculptures will be showcased in cultural and leisure venues across the city. Residents and visitors will be able to follow a trail to discover the BookBenches and literacy-focused events will be held around them.

Schools and community groups are invited to decorate a BookBench sculpture made from fibreglass, with designs inspired by books, novels, comics, poems and prose. Whether based on sci-fi, a nursery rhyme, a classic or contemporary novel, the BookBench provides a blank canvas for creativity and the potential to interpret literary works in a range of different ways.

Schools will need to buy a BookBench to take part in the project, which could be achieved through fundraising. The money raised will be matched by local businesses, which will fund the logistics and management of the project. The pupils, teachers, parents and businesses involved in the project will play a valuable role in the development of an exciting public art trail in the summer.

Once the BookBenches have been decorated they will be displayed in cultural hubs, leisure and shopping centres throughout Peterborough. Many of the venues will host activities and events, and families will be able to discover the BookBenches by following a trail. After the summer, the BookBenches will be returned to the schools and community groups that decorated them, where they could become a lasting feature of a library, book corner or outside learning environment.

Please complete the following information to let us know if you're interested or to ask any burning questions about what's involved. We look forward to hearing from you.