 Dance Workshops – Let’s Read to the Beat!A joyful dance workshop with BRAVE Festival, inspired by storybooks about African animals. Expect music, movement, games, and props in a fun, creative session. No experience needed, just come ready to move and imagine! Suitable for children aged 4-9 years (their grown-ups can join in too). FREE. Drop in. Eccleshill Library Monday 24th August, 10:30am-11:30am Laisterdyke Library Monday 24th August, 1:30pm-2:30pm Clayton Library Tuesday 25th August, 10:30am-11:30am Manningham Library Tuesday 25th August, 1:30pm-2:30pm  Liz Flanagan is the author of the award-winning Wildsmith fantasy adventure series, illustrated by Joe Todd-Stanton. In this interactive story session, she will explain where the ideas came from for her Wildsmith series. Working step by step, Liz then invites children to imagine, sketch and plan elements of a magical story of their own, using ideas from their own lives, before starting to write the opening lines. There will be time at the end for questions and chat. Liz's events are very popular, mixing magic and imagination, where she empowers and inspires audiences from across the UK. Suitable for ages 7-11 years. Booking essential – please contact the library directly to reserve a place. City Library Tuesday 25 August, 10:30am Shipley Library Tuesday 25 August, 1:30pm  Little Learners Little Learners will be running play sessions at Shipley Library for children under five! Q.What do I need to bring? Please make sure you and your child are wearing clothes you don't mind getting messy in. Little Learners take no responsibility for clothes that are stained, marked or damaged. Make sure you remember to bring a change of clothes, and a towel. (warm soapy water will be provided at the end of the session if necessary) Q. Do I stay with my child at Little Learners? At Little Learners we encourage parents to be involved in their child’s learning as much as they can and most of all – have lots of fun! We provide a variety of fun, hands-on activities for you and your child to explore together and learn how to make marks. Parents/Carers are solely responsible for their child/children at all times during Little Learners classes; for example, although care is taken to ensure materials used are non-toxic, parents/carers should take sensible precautions to ensure that materials aren’t ingested. Please be aware that some activities involve materials that can become slippery so extra care must be taken Each week will be designed around a book theme. Wk 1 - Dear Zoo Wk 2 - The Very Hungry Caterpillar Wk 3 - Vehicles (will use a variety of books) Wk 4 - The Gruffalo Wk 5 - The Colour Monster. The events are FREE but booking is ESSENTIAL. Please book via shipley.library@bradford.gov.uk Sessions will run on the following dates from 10.45am for one hour. Wednesday, 2 Sept Wednesday, 9 Sept Wednesday, 16 Sept Wednesday, 23 Sept Wednesday, 30 Sept |
 Calling all budding authors and poets! Come and hone your creative writing skills on the theme of the Summer Reading Challenge – Read to the Beat! Suitable for ages 8–12. Booking essential – please contact the library directly to reserve a place. Shipley Library Wednesday 26 August, 10am-11:30am Clayton Library Thursday 27 August, 12:30pm-2:30pm  Don't miss the final week of Summer Reading Challenge events at Bradford Libraries. With storytelling, dance, creative writing and an award-winning author visit still to come, there's still time to join in the fun. A full list of events and activities can be found in our online Summer Reading Challenge brochure.  A fun, interactive performance of a story, packed with songs, visuals, props and plenty of audience participation — and sometimes even a bit of dancing! The fun finishes with a hands on craft activity, where children make a story inspired prop or artwork to take home. Suitable for children aged 4-12 years. Booking essential Holme Wood Library Monday 24th August, 11am-12noon Keighley Library Monday 24th August, 2pm-3pm |
 School Leavers, concerned about their next steps are welcomed along to Shipley Library, on Weds, August 26, where a number of skills organisations and local colleges will be on hand to support and advice youngsters. The event, which will include Skills for Work, SkillsHouse, Bradford College, Shipley College and Motive 8 College, is FREE and will start at 1pm, running on until 6pm. We will also have local employer Tom Chilton, from The Bothy, along. Tom will be offering advice on interview skills for anyone looking for work, even if it's simply a summer job/part time job to support youngsters during their time at university or college. We ask attendees to please book in advance so we can keep an eye on numbers. Please click this link to book YOUR ticket https://www.ticketsource.com/bradfordlibraries/t-gljnzqp  Do YOU have a passion you would LOVE to make a little money from? Come and join our workshop! We are looking for Kitchen-table Entrepreneurs - anyone who would like to turn their favourite hobby into a small money-making business. Nothing too scary or corporate, just a few extra pennies every month! Shipley Enterprise Hub, Shipley Library September 8 10am-12noon.  A talk by Janet Senior Thursday September 10th 11:30 – 12:30pm A Medieval Burglary at Westminster with links to Yorkshire! The ruling monarchs of England lived close to Westminster Abbey in the early Middle Ages and used the Abbey for storage facilities. But the monarchs were not always in the palace and when they were away anything could happen. One of these ‘happenings’ was an audacious burglary in 1302/03. The talk will include information on the buildings, the people involved, reasons for the burglary. what happened to the perpetrators and the resulting actions of the Exchequer. Bradford Local Studies History Lectures - at Bradford Local Studies Library, Margaret McMillan Tower, Princes Way, BD1 1NN. These talks are supported by member of FoBALS (Friends of Bradford Archives & Local Studies) with Bradford Local Studies and West Yorkshire Archives Bradford. Email local.studies@bradford.gov.uk. Tel: 01274 433688,   A talk by Alan Pearson Thursday, 27th August 2026 11:30 -12:30 pm Starting on Steeton Moor, on the edge of a sea of ice that stretched all the way to the North Pole, Alan's talk will follow a string of lakes and the overflow channels that connected them. At the end of the Ice Age, huge volumes of meltwater cascaded across the hills high above the Aire Valley. This river ran for 50 kilometres alongside the ice and passed through places in Bradford where Alan grew up. Over the last five years Alan has walked along all these ancient riverbeds and recorded in photographs the retreat of the glacier, detailing each new channel as the ice melted back. Join him for a walk in a barren, frozen landscape when a glacier filled the Aire Valley Bradford Local Studies Library, Tel: 01274 433688, Margaret McMillan Tower (side entrance), Princes Way, BD1 1NN The event is free but booking is essential. Email local.studies@bradford.gov.uk. |
 Bingley Library will be holding a FREE Model Narrow Boat Workshop for Families on Wednesday 26th August from 11.30am-1.30pm. Book your FREE place using the QR Code or via the link below: https://bit.ly/BingleyModelBoat Why not come along and join in the fun: Craft your very own Narrow Boat, get creative & celebrate your local environment. No equipment needed - suitable for all abilities. This event is in partnership with the Walk, Wheel, Cycle Trust and the Canal & River Trust.  Bingley Library will be hosting a FREE Guided Nature Walk to Bingley Five Rise Locks on Wednesday 26th August at 2.30pm. Please book a place via the QR Code or below link: https://bit.ly/BingleyWalk The one- hour nature walk is for adults and families and is step free and at a gentle pace - all abilities welcome. Why not come along and connect with your local environment and community.  | 
