Summer Reading Challenge during the National Year of Reading
The 2026 Summer Reading Challenge, titled "Read to the Beat," launches in July 2026, featuring a music-themed initiative created by The Reading Agency. Designed for children aged 4-11, participants aim to read six books over three visits to their local library to earn rewards. "Read to the Beat!" focuses on connecting books with music, rhythm, and sound to spark imagination. The National Year of Reading 2026 is the biggest campaign in a generation designed to help more people (re)discover the joy of reading and make it part of their everyday lives. Look out for library staff over the coming weeks as we will be visiting local schools to promote both of these fantastic reading initiatives!
‼️Libraries phone number due to change on May 19 2026 ‼️
Currently, if you contact your local library by phone, you call a number for a specific branch.
From Tuesday 19 May, 2026 we’re introducing a single number to call for all libraries. The new number for all libraries will be 01978 292090 (it will remain the same for Wrexham Library). Once the change has taken place when you call this number you’ll get through to the council contact centre team, and they’ll put you through to the branch you wish to speak to. Calls will be answered between Monday-Friday 9am-6pm and Saturday 9am – 4pm but they can only be forwarded to your local library if they are open, otherwise the call will be re-directed to Wrexham Library. For a short while if you try calling the old number, you’ll hear a message to let you know the number has changed, then it will ask you to hold and your call will be automatically rerouted and connected to the new line. Twelve weeks after May 19, if you try to call an old library number you will hear a message to say the number is no longer available and to dial 01978 292090, after which the call will end. As always, you can also email each branch with any queries you have about the library service.
Did you know…?
Did you know your child’s library card can give them access to over 2500 audiobooks on BorrowBox. Audiobooks are an effective way of engaging children in literature and sparking their interest in books. Combining audio with print has been shown to increase reading accuracy by 52% and comprehension by 76%. From popular titles like Harry Potter, Diary Of A Wimpy Kid and Julia Donaldson stories to Ultimate Football Heroes. From pre-school to teen, whatever your child is into there is an audiobook on BorrowBox and it is completely free with library membership.
Top tips for saving money
If you need to buy a new fridge, cooker, camera, printer, light bulb, phone and more, how will you know whether the model you’re buying is better than the others? Are you getting value for money? Is the most expensive one better than a cheaper one? Why not check-up in advance? Visit Wrexham Library to read a ‘Which?’ report about the product you wish to buy and select a model based on the results of extensive tests. It’s a good place to start and you could save yourself pounds.
