'Why Leeds’ libraries are more vital than ever' - YEP launches new Leeds Reads campaign
A good story can change a life.
And that is why the Yorkshire Evening Post is starting its new Leeds Reads campaign to spark a love of reading across the city.
Today we're putting our local libraries firmly back in the spotlight after more than 300,000 books have been loaned out across Leeds in just the space of three months.
Our city is home to 37 libraries and community hubs with no closures in the last 10 years.
Libraries are not just luxuries - they are the infrastructure for the imagination and a vital community hub to knit our city together.
Coun Asghar Khan, Leeds City Council's executive member for communities, customer services and community safety, said: “The absolutely core principle of our libraries remains the love of reading, storytelling and exploring the world of imagination and possibilities that books can open up.
“Libraries are and always will be magical places, with a unique power to expand young minds and bring different generations and cultures together"
Our new campaign coincides with the National Year Of Reading, which is pushing to “rekindle the UK’s love of reading".
Step through the doors of a library and you're entering a world where your imagination can run away with itself.
In an age obsessed with online scrolling and the fast pace of the internet, libraries are a place of calm and quiet. They slow us down and invite curiosity in an age of algorithms.
Fiction, non-fiction, crime, sci-fi and romance all sit alongside each other in the physical map of human thought.
It's a place where generations can come together for a shared love of reading and turning the page as you submerge yourself into a world of curiosity.
Stepping into Armley Library last week for the unveiling of the plaque for former YEP reporter and international best-seller Barbara Taylor Bradford reminded me just how important a role they play in our city.
It was there in those walls that Barbara nurtured her love of reading - even having two library cards so she could borrow double the amount of books. But that passion and imagination led her down a pathway I'm sure the youngster would never have imagined possible.
Libraries are not just about books. They create that space for knowledge, access and community cohesion.
They offer opportunities to everyone - be it a child looking to pick up their first book, a teenager wanting peace to file their coursework, a jobseeker browsing opportunities or a pensioner looking for companionship in the groups that run from these vital community hubs.
Yet they are often too expendable when budgets tighten and as communities retreat so do curious minds.
Libraries are not just luxuries - they are infrastructure for the imagination.
And today the Yorkshire Evening Post is launching its Leeds Reads campaign in the National Year of Reading. Over the coming weeks we'll be shining a spotlight on the organisations who are making it their mission to get the city reading.
And we want to hear from you. Tell us about the brilliant groups and charities who are making sure everyone has access to books and inspiring people of all ages.
The power of words should never be underestimated - it opens a world of imagination, knowledge and perspective to create a brighter future for everyone.