Become a Dementia Friend with your Flintshire library

May 17-23 marks Dementia Action Week 2021, and Aura Libraries will be hosting two Zoom sessions about becoming a Dementia Friend. The purpose of these free interactive information sessions will be to learn how dementia affects a person, and what you can do to make a difference. Become a Dementia Friend and join more than three million others taking action. From being more patient in a shop queue to campaigning for change, every action counts.

Our first Zoom session will be held at 2pm today (May 18), followed by an evening session on Wednesday, May 19 at 7pm. For more information and to register for a Zoom session, email Library Service Manager Susannah at: susannah.hill@aura.wales

Suggested reading for Dementia Action Week.

Reading Well Schemes

The Reading Agency fantastic 'Reading Well' scheme focuses on the importance of wellbeing and the integral role that reading plays in keeping our minds healthy. In Wales there are three Reading Well booklists: Reading Well for mental health, Reading Well for children, and Reading Well for dementia. The books are chosen by health experts and people living with the conditions covered.

Anyone who may benefit from the Reading Well books can be recommended a title by a health professional, or they can visit their local library and take a book out for free. Many titles are available in Welsh and English, and leaflets can be downloaded in Welsh and English from the Reading Well website: reading-well.org.uk/wales

If you need more specific help and support, we encourage you to pop into your local library or give us a ring. We will be able to talk through the various Reading Well booklists with you and help you find exactly what you're looking for.

We encourage all our library members to discover more about the Reading Well scheme by getting in touch with us, or by visiting the Reading Well website: https://reading-well.org.uk/books/books-on-prescription

Come and say hello

Our libraries are open for select browsing and computer access. Computers will be available to book by phoning the library:

• Broughton Library - 01352 703760

• Buckley Library - 01352 703860

• Connah's Quay Library - 01352 703730

• Flint Library - 01352 703737

• Holywell Library - 01352 703850

• Mold Library - 01352 703780

Select and Collect

Search our online library catalogue and reserve titles, or email or phone your local library. To make an order please phone 01352 703750, or email us at libraries@aura.wales You can browse our catalogue at www.aura.wales/flintshire-library-catalogue/ and place a hold on items to collect from the library counter. We will just need to know your library membership number, a contact telephone number and email address, your book requests/preferences, and your preferred collection point.

Sporting Memories

Are you a sports fan? Join us for our very first 'Sporting Memories' group starting Wednesday, May 19 at 10am via Zoom. 'Sporting Memories' sessions are aimed at people over 50 and are designed to get conversation flowing, help relive positive memories and provide joy and companionship. At Sporting Memories Clubs, everyone finds fun, friendship and increased wellbeing. The sessions will run weekly and we hope to be able to meet in person very soon. For more information and to register for the session please email susannah.hill@aura.wales

Aura Book Corner

The Bermondsey Bookshop by Mary Gibson

The Bermondsey Bookshop by Mary Gibson

This week's book recommendations come to you from Inara at Mold Library.

She said: "When I picked up this book I wasn't sure what to expect, but I wasn't disappointed. The Bermondsey Bookshop by Mary Gibson is a well-written saga with an interesting plot, credible characters, romance, and an intriguing mystery. 

"This book is set in the early 1920s in London and it really captured the very hard times and struggles of life. The book is based on the true story of the Bermondsey Bookshop which opened in 1921: a place where the ordinary people of Bermondsey could buy books, paying them off in small instalments.

"The bookshop was open in the evening so people could visit after work to read, listen to lectures, and learn all sorts of things."

The Bermondsey Bookshop is an exciting historical novel and is just a bit different. Very enjoyable, and a book I would recommend. I would give this title an Aura Book Score of 4/5."

The Bermondsey Bookshop, along with other titles by Mary Gibson, is available to borrow from your local Aura library. If this book sounds right up your street, why not add it to your next Select and Collect order!

Visit us on social media to view our weekly rhyme time or story time sessions, as well as lots of book and audiobook recommendations, plus handy information about our services and the online monthly events we host, including Zoom reading groups for adults and children. We can be found on Facebook at @LlyfrgelloeddAuraLibraries, Instagram at @llyfrgelloeddauralibraries and Twitter at @LibFlintshire.

From everyone here at Aura Libraries, thank you for reading, stay safe and we hope to hear from you or see you soon! Whilst we may be facing difficult times, remember: we are always united by books!

• Aura is a charitable, not-for-profit, organisation responsible for managing the majority of leisure, libraries and heritage services in Flintshire. Aura is owned by its employees and operates for the benefit of local communities.