Braunton Library named South-West Library of the Year

Braunton Library has been named the South-West winner of Library of the Year, putting it in the running for the national Library of the Year title at The British Book Awards 2025.

The library was one of four finalists in the South-West region, alongside Bideford and Exeter Libraries. 

All three are run by Libraries Unlimited, the charity that operates libraries across Devon and Torbay.

The British Book Awards, also known as ‘The Nibbies,’ are organised by The Bookseller magazine to celebrate the best in books, recognising authors, illustrators, and others in the book industry.

Braunton Library has become a key part of the local community, offering regular events such as children’s Lego Club, Mini Readers, and groups for adults like Knit and Natter and Creative Writing. 

The library also hosts author visits, live music, IT sessions, and reading groups. 

With 1,589 members and around 24,500 visits a year, the library runs about 300 events, attracting roughly 3,000 attendees annually.

One notable project was ‘The Gatherers,’ which connected people to nature through flower collecting. 

The initiative invited residents to gather flowers from their gardens, celebrating the link between nature and mental health. 

The project also involved Afghan families resettled in Braunton, encouraging them to take part in wellbeing walks and flower collecting. 

The flowers were then pressed into bookmarks and distributed to library visitors.

The library’s project was also selected by the European Cultural Foundation as one of 50 initiatives to partner with The Europe Challenge 2024, a programme supported by the European Cultural Foundation and Arts Council England.

Anna Woods, Supervisor at Braunton Library, said: “The staff at Braunton Library are absolutely thrilled to have won the South-West Library of the Year! We took part in The Gatherers, an exciting project which aimed to connect people with nature by using pressed flowers to make beautiful bookmarks which were then distributed for free to our users. We worked alongside a group of resettled Afghan women which proved to be a valuable relationship on both sides, breaking down language and cultural barriers. The project was part of a wider European initiative working alongside local libraries. Huge thanks to the individuals and organisations who organised and supported the project especially Amy Shelton from Honeyscribe, the Pickwell Foundation and the Braunton Countryside Centre. Special mention must go to our former Library Supervisor Sarah Bushell who worked so hard to make the project such a success.”

The ‘The Gatherers’ project received funding from Arts Council England (ACE), which has identified North Devon as one of its Priority Places for cultural engagement.

The overall winner of Library of the Year will be announced at The British Book Awards on May 12, 2025, at Grosvenor House in London.