News / Shirehampton
Queen Camilla visits Bristol school for first solo engagement since the coronation
The Queen visited Shirehampton Primary School on Thursday in her first solo royal engagement since the coronation.
Queen Camilla made the trip to launch a national initiative that will see 50 new Coronation Libraries that are due to be created across the UK in 2023 and 2024.
The first reading space is being set up at the primary school in north west Bristol, as part of the scheme to promote children reading in communities with low levels of literacy.
is needed now More than ever
There, the newly-crowned monarch met pupils and school librarians from ten schools. They took part in a session where they designed their ‘dream library’ with author and former children’s laureate Cressida Cowell, who wrote children’s book series How To Train Your Dragon.
Also taking part were representatives from Arts Council England, the publishers Oxford University Press and the charity BookTrust.
Afterwards, Shirehampton Primary School’s two librarians took Her Majesty to the new Coronation Library. Inside, Horrid Henry author Francesca Simon hosted a reading session with the children before the Queen unveiled a plaque to mark the official opening of the school’s Coronation Library.
After “giving it a good tap for good luck”, the Queen moved on to join Shirehampton’s key stage two pupils in the school hall, who were getting an expert lesson in drawing by Odd Dog author Rob Biddulph.
Shirehampton Year 6 pupils Oritse and Shanan showed the Queen their new Coronation Library before infants Evan, 5 and Daisy, 6 gave her flowers to thank her for her visit.
The visit ended with a tea party in the playground with nursery and infant school children who welcomed the Queen sang her Hey Tiger, a song from The Tiger Who Came To Tea.
The Queen’s visit on Thursday was her first solo royal engagement since the coronation
The Coronation Libraries Programme “celebrates Her Majesty’s strong advocacy not only for reading and literacy, but also for the vital importance of primary school libraries”.
A spokesperson for the initiative said: “The reading spaces will be established in communities with low levels of literacy and whose children in the coronation year are least likely to have books at home.
“Each library or reading space will be refurbished, restocked and a member of staff will be trained to manage both the space and a range of reading activities for the whole school.”
The 50 libraries that are due to be created will receive a set of 23 books which will bear a commemorative bookplate featuring the coronation emblem.
All photos: Bristol Live
Read next:
- Live blog: Harry and Meghan visit Bristol
- Remembering the Queen’s visits to Bristol
- A-Z Bristol Pub Crawl: The Lifeboat Inn, Shirehampton
Listen to the latest Bristol24/7 Behind the Headlines podcast:
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
