Living Arrows | Local Book Benches

 'You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth' Khalil Gibran.

Like most towns in recent years, ours has been in steady decline. The decimation of the high street, the increase in drug users and the lessening of that sense of pride in our town has led to the town centre being unkempt and honestly, unsightly. It's not a particularly pleasant place to be and that's why when the council provide something cultural, educational and exciting I want to shout about it and encourage everyone to take part. That's why I always champion using your local library because if we don't use, we lose it!

Our local town and several surrounding areas have installed these amazing book benches, each one created by a local organisation or school and each one spreading a message of gratitude or sharing historical facts. It turns our our area is surprisingly rich in culture- did you know my town is the only creator of OXO cubes worldwide? I didn't and I've lived her all my life! That's 33 years not knowing such an interesting fact. 

The benches are numbered and you can collect a paper trail to complete or you can download a digital version from a local app (again something I didn't know our town had!). The trail runs for 6 weeks and then the benches will be moved to permanent homes at local libraries and galleries. It would have been nice to have the benches around throughout the school holidays, perhaps an oversight from the council or an intentional move to try and reduce the chance of vandalism. I do hope we manage to get to see all the benches before they move on or get ruined by thoughtless people. 

Thanks For Reading,

  Created by Donna over at What The Redhead Said, this weekly link up invites you to share a post that celebrates childhood. Click the badge below for more information.