Cathedral Shop closed all day Good Friday, 29th March

Peterborough Cathedral joins the city's Book Bench Trail

Wednesday 30 June

Three colourful new seats have been placed in the peaceful setting of the Cathedral's Cloister as part of a reading scheme.

Visitors to the Cathedral are being encouraged to bring their books and relax on one of the three benches located within the Cloister.

The seats are part of a trail laid out by the @PeterboroughReads project which aims to get families reading together while promoting literacy within schools. It is part of the National Literacy Trust's wider bid to engage more people in reading.

One of the benches in the Cloister, entitled 'Unlock Your Potential', and was decorated by pupils from Lime Academy Abbotsmede. It features some of their favourite books and they hope it will inspire other children to read them too (photo below). Another of the benches, created by the artist Lois Cordelia, is entitled 'Time to Sit and Reflect'. This depicts the peace and tranquility of a lakeside scene, a magical and tranquil place to sit and read.  The benches were created in a collaboration with Wild In Art.

The Cloister is now open during Cathedral opening hours.

The National Literacy Trust Hub in Peterborough was launched in 2014. They work with local partners and communities to deliver programmes and activities to ensure children and young people in the city have the literacy skills they need to succeed in life.

The @PeterboroughReads initiative focuses on ensuring that children are ready to start school and improving the transition between primary and secondary school to improve pupils’ literacy.

Book benches are also sited at Peterborough Museum, Queensgate Shopping Centre and other city centre locations. They will remain in place until early September.

Full details of the Literacy Trust's activities can be found by visiting their website.

Follow this link for more information about the sculpture by Simon Latham that is also currently in the Cloisters.

Book bench decorated by Lime Academy Abbotsmede

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