The Salford Literacy Trail BookBenches are designed by local artists who have worked with Salford’s school children to create a piece of art that reflects the stories that inspire them and how reading can make them feel
We hope that this trail will encourage families, schools, and the local community to discover new stories and to talk and connect over an ever-growing love of reading.
The Salford Literacy Trail BookBenches are being created by Wild in Art, a specialist organisation behind many other successful trails, such as Bee in the City, Elmer’s Great North Parade, and Walking with The Snowman.
The children used the powers of their imagination to create five short stories about the adventures of the local Swinton wildlife. Their stories were about kindness, friendship and teamwork, qualities reflected in the pupils’ characters which have come to life on the colourful BookBench.
The Raven takes its inspiration from supernatural themes of classic children’s books such as Skellig by David Almond and Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling. Poems were another source of inspiration for the pupils, from the classic Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven to their own poems, one comparing people to stars “like diamonds in the night sky”.
Frozen Kingdom takes its inspiration from the class's recent studies of life in the Arctic and Antarctic, exploring the natural world, as well as its history. Of the numerous books they read during their learning, one favourite followed the story of two penguins who adopted an egg in New York Zoo.
The children were inspired by their love of fantastical foods and spectacular places in their favourite books, such as The Tiger who came to Tea and The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Eccles Cakes were a favourite treat and although they are tasty, the pupil’s decided they weren’t colourful enough.
During the children's workshop, space and diversity came up as prominent themes. This BookBench shows off a space party, created with their drawings of aliens, planets, and space characters.
A factory overflowing with creativity, this Bookbench is inspired by Salford’s industrial past and its huge range of creative groups and individuals. Underneath flows the River Irwell, the backbone to the city.
The school’s setting, backing onto fields and woodlands near Wardley Moss, is the main inspiration for this BookBench. The children told stories of the visiting wildlife, such as deer and buzzards. Wardley Woodland Wonders shows the creatures that come out to play throughout the day and in the night.
The design was inspired by The Memory Tree by Britta Teckentrup which looks at reminiscence, friendship and the passage of time. 150 pupils worked with Lauren Mullarkey to create glass insects that might live in the orchard at Ordsall Hall, and ghosts, as it is rumoured that the hall is haunted. These are carefully worked into a mosaic on the back of the BookBench that also references Primrose Hill. All pupils at the school, and their parents, were invited to reflect on their memories of Ordsall via drawings, descriptions and poetry. These have been integrated into their own memory oak tree by the school’s artists in residence, Marie Cash.
When asked what books meant to them, the children said they were a “vehicle to visit faraway places” and an opportunity to “lose yourself in a world of wonders”. This BookBench portrays the imaginary worlds we dream about when getting stuck into a good book.
Pupils from two classes decided on referencing one of their favourite books, The Boy who Grew Dragons by Andy Shepherd. They had the opportunity to draw their own dragons and fruit and wanted the design to be bright, colourful and busy. As such, a myriad of their illustrations can be found on the BookBench.
This BookBench is named after the school’s motto. Children from each year responded to the slogan ‘reading can take you anywhere’ and the final design references artwork created by the pupils during their creative design workshop.
This BookBench’s name is the quote decided upon by the class as their design inspiration. The children talked about how reading opens up unlimited possibilities for feeding the imagination. They produced creative drawings and all ten pupils involved have contributions included on the BookBench.
The pupils had been studying Shakespeare's Macbeth in preparation for a special performance at the Lowry. Witches’ amulets, that they made as part of their studies, are included in the design as well as their depictions of the atmospheric landscapes in the play.
Jenny wanted to stay true to the children's original drawings and for the BookBench to be bright and colourful, full of characters and rainbows. The children wanted it to be “somewhere people can sit if they are feeling down”.
This Bench celebrates the pupils of St. Lukes' love of books and nature. This a a special place where the animals come to enjoy a good book! Salford is over 60% green space, with 60 green spaces, including The Cathedral Garden. The sound-birds represent the pupils of St. Lukes who have performed at the Cathedral.
Take a Leaf Out of our Book is inspired by the pupils’ advocacy for wildlife conservation and how their school’s core values can be found through the joy of reading. It is a celebration of the gardening skills, they learned at RHS Bridgewater, as well as Salford, a place they’re proud to call home.
Literally Magic takes its inspiration from the magic of six children’s books that are part of a summer exhibition at The Lowry. These were combined with the school’s values, community and the spirit of Salford’s young people.
The Sunrise BookBench is inspired by the hope and possibilities each new day brings. It also shines a light on the positive impacts that nature can have on our wellbeing.
The pupils and Emily wanted to create something bright and colourful visually that would represent the cover of Emily's first ever children's book, Find Your Happy, which was published by Walker Books on 2nd June. The idea behind the bench was that it encouraged children to recognise different feelings and emotions and help them find their happy in this funny old world. The back of the bench is filled with words and inspiration from the children based on what they do to 'find their happy'.
Willow Tree Primary’s pupils were lucky to be allocated the Elmer BookBench and imagined what he would do if he visited Salford for the day. They drew lots of creative designs, including Elmer being hoisted by a crane and parachuting into the city, which are included on the BookBench.
If you have any questions or comments about the Salford Literacy Trail, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Want to buy a BookBench? Our auction is now live and will close on 22nd September 2022 at 7pm. All the money raised will fund local literacy projects.