We’re excited to share that our Annual Impact Report for 2024-25 is now available! 🎉
It’s been another busy year at Libraries Unlimited in our libraries across Devon and Torbay. We are proud to share the incredible impact they have had in the communities they serve.
Over this past year, Libraries Unlimited saw:
✅ 129,000+ active members
📚 2.6 million+ visits
🎟️ 260,000+ people attended more than 14,000 events at our libraries
💚 £25.1 million social value generated
Find out what our most popular book titles were, which library won Library of the Year South West, and so much more! 🏆
#LibrariesUnlimited #Devon #Torbay #AnnualImpactReport #NPO
We love our library friends groups! 💚
Here are The Friends of Budleigh Salterton Library, hosting a lively library coffee morning with delicious cakes courtesy of Susie and Lizzy. 🧁📚
Library Friends are brought together by their shared passion for libraries and reading; they are community powerhouses.
#BudleighSaltertonLibrary #LoveLibraries #LibraryFriends
Families can now explore five beaches with The Outdoor Explorer Club's accessible routes and free resources. Including leaflets, stories and activities designed to help children and young people engage with nature.
Let’s go to the beach!
Explore:
🐬 Sidmouth Beach
🐚 Exmouth Beach
🌞 Croyde Bay
🌊 Westward Ho! Beach
🏖️ Teignmouth Beach
Designed alongside SEND young people, the resources are accessible and can be requested in braille.
Pick up your next adventure at your local library or visit our website to learn more.
#ChampionsForChange #TheOutdoorExplorerClub
Have you read any of the British Book Awards Book of the Year Winners? Let us know in the comments!
Not read them yet? Borrow them from our catalogue or BorrowBox!
Overall Book of the Year 2026 and Non-Fiction: Narrative
🏆 Nobody’s Girl by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, co-written by Amy Wallace
Fiction
👑 Boleyn Traitor by Philippa Gregory
Romantic Fiction
💕 Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry
Crime & Thriller
🐭 A Case of Mice and Murder by Sally Smith
Graphic Novel
💫 Bunny vs Monkey: Intergalactic Monkey Business! by Jamie Smart
Non-Fiction: Lifestyle & Illustrated
⛪ Forgotten Churches by Luke Sherlock, with illustrations by Ioana Pioaru
Discover
💚 The Mercy Step by Marcia Hutchinson
Science Fiction & Fantasy
✨ Alchemised by SenLinYu
Children’s Non-Fiction & Illustrated
🐐 Oh Dear, Look What I Got! by Michael Rosen, and illustrated by Helen Oxenbury
Children’s Fiction
🌅 Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
Audiobook Non-Fiction
🎧 Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams
Audiobook Fiction
📗 Cursed Daughters by Oyinkan Braithwaite (available from our catalogue as a physical or ebook)
#BritishBookAwards #LoveLibraries
Getting out in the garden to enjoy the spring? 🌱 Find seed swaps and gardening books in our libraries.
📷 St Thomas Library
#LoveLibraries #LibrariesUnlimited #StThomasLibrary
Thinking of getting back on your bike this summer? 🚲☀️
We are offering free bike safety check in partnership with Ride On. If your bike has been unused over the winter or needs a simple check, Dr Bike is here to help you.
These sessions are part of our Together for Tomorrow programme, which supports people in saving money, improving wellbeing, and making more sustainable choices and are part of #NaturallyHealthyMay2026.
The four libraries offering this service are:
🟢Seaton Library – May 14th
🟢Holsworthy Library – May 21st
🟢Exmouth Library – May 28th
🟢Bovey Tracey Library – June 11th
Sessions are 30 minutes and must be booked in advance.
Check our website to book and find out more.
#DrBike #CyclingLife #DevonEvents #GetActive #GreenTravel
This weekend is Exeter Pride! 🌈📚 We’re celebrating LGBTQ+ stories, voices, and authors. Books help us explore identity, feel seen and celebrate love and life.
Discover new voices and perspectives with your Libraries Unlimited library card from our catalogue and on BorrowBox!
#ReadWithPride #ExeterPride #LibrariesUnlimited
Big news for Bideford Library! 💚
We have been awarded £176K with Dbs Pro from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Bideford Retold will transform the historic Chope Collection held at into an immersive, youth‑led digital experience at Bideford Library.
Young people will explore local stories, get creative with technology, and help shape the future of heritage in North Devon.
#BidefordRetold #BidefordLibrary #LocalHistory #NationalLotteryHeritageFund
Fixy recieved a fantastic response in Exeter! In just 2 hours, our Fixy tech donation launch at Exeter Library collected over 110kg of unwanted tech!
All items will be securely wiped and either refurbished for people experiencing digital poverty or recycled, with funds from materials going back into the project. ♻️💚
Exeter Library is now a permanent tech drop-off point, alongside Cullompton Library and Totnes Library.
📍 Tiverton Library launches Saturday, May 9th
📍 Barnstaple Library launches Saturday, July 18th
Thank you to everyone who donated and helped make such a positive impact for people and the planet. 🌍
#LibrariesUnlimited #TechForGood #DigitalInclusion #DevonLibraries #ClimateAction #NationalLotteryFunded
Northam Library celebrated a community Readathon! 📚
They welcomed customers, including local councillors, to read and listen to stories. Everyone enjoyed exploring books, from poetry, the prize-winning Orbital, to The Thursday Murder Club and more.
#NationalYearOfReading2026 #NorthamLibrary #LoveLibraries
It’s Dying Matters Awareness Week. This week is about giving space to conversations about death, dying and bereavement. These affect us all but can be challenging to talk about with friends and family.
Exeter Library are tackling this taboo topic with Last Writes on 6th May, an evening exploring death, dying and what it means to be human. From 15th to 17th May, Afterlives is coming to the library. A creative, family-friendly festival inviting people to use storytelling, play and creativity to examine death, dying and end-of-life choices.
#DyingMattersAwarenessWeek #LibrariesUnlimited #LoveLibraries
It’s Naturally Healthy May! This month, we’re sharing some of the ways our libraries support health and wellbeing in Devon and Torbay.
Why not try borrowing a book? 📗 According to research by the University of Sussex, reading can reduce stress by 68%. Lower your stress and enjoy a good story this May.
#NaturallyHealthyMay2026 #LoveLibraries
