Literature fest sees 2,500 children hunting for codes across Worksop

More than 2,500 youngsters and parents in Worksop were encouraged to visit the town centre and take part in a special event to celebrate literature.
(L-R) Liz Carney-Marsh, bid ambassador Biddy Sherburn and Carmell Dunn from Mollie Rocker Bakery(L-R) Liz Carney-Marsh, bid ambassador Biddy Sherburn and Carmell Dunn from Mollie Rocker Bakery
(L-R) Liz Carney-Marsh, bid ambassador Biddy Sherburn and Carmell Dunn from Mollie Rocker Bakery

LitFest’s First Chapters Trail was a week-long event, from September 12 to 19, offering free virtual workshops, live online interviews and readings with a variety of different authors, and the trail itself to encourage people to participate outdoors.

The trail required participants to hunt for special bookcases that hid secret ‘Artcodes’ and were been placed in businesses across Worksop and Retford.

Once scanned, these codes led participants to footage of different authors – both international and local – as they read chapters from their favourite published books.

The event was managed by Bassetlaw District Council and funded by North Notts BID.

Sally Gillborn, chief executive at North Notts BID, said: “We’re so happy we could support LitFest again, even if things had to be done slightly differently this year. We wanted people to be able to enjoy the workshops and live streams from the comfort of their own homes, while still being able to participate in an element of the event outdoors.

“It was great to see local businesses getting involved this year and we’re happy that we were able to invite people to visit these businesses, while still taking all the appropriate measures to keep them safe.

"LitFest is an event that we look forward to every year and it’s an amazing way to encourage young people to take more of an interest in reading and writing as schools begin to reopen.”

Liz Carney-Marsh, North Nottinghamshire’s literary ambassador, said: “We had a lot of fun designing new ways for people to participate in the festival this year by giving them a reason to explore the local area in a safe and fun manner.

"The First Chapters Trail enabled us to do all of those things at the same time, showcasing not just international bestselling writers, but also our wonderful community of local authors.

“We also worked with local author Charlie Mackesy to drop over £500 worth of his book ‘The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse’ at different locations while the festival ran, which was a great way to encourage young people to get outdoors to track them down and get reading.”