What's On
Celebration of the Season at Retford Library: Wintertime and New Year
Join us for a family festival of winter wonders, including simple willow weaving, storytelling and …
On Saturday 6 May Charles III will be crowned king, and what better way to celebrate than with us! Join your local library to mark the occasion with children's craft sessions, themed Places of Welcome and much more.
Our libraries will operate normal opening hours Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th May, but will be closed for the bank holiday on Monday 8th. Find your nearest library here.
We are also delighted to introduce Cultivate for the Coronation - an exciting new project taking place across our libraries with support and funding from Arts Council England. We're encouraging library users to celebrate the coronation by getting outdoors and taking part in gardening activities. Join us at our sunflower-planting sessions or take part in our seed swaps across the county as we pay homage to the great outdoors this May.
| Library | Event | Date and time | Additional Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arnold | Grow Your Own Sunflower* | Thursday 11 May, 3:45pm - 4:30pm | Decorate your own plant pot, then plant your seed and watch it grow! Free, no booking required. While stocks last. |
| 'Royal Visits' display & children's activity sheets | Monday 1 May - Sunday 14 May, during normal opening times | Drop by and take a look at our royal visits over the years. Activity sheets available for children. Free, no booking required. | |
| Beeston | Coronation Cress Heads* | Saturday 6 May, 11am - 1pm | Come and make a royal-themed cress head at our friendly and fun drop-in craft session. Ages 4-11, no booking required. |
| Places of Welcome Coronation Party* | Friday 5 May, 10:30am - 12pm | Join us for a celebratory cuppa as we celebrate this momentous event. Free, no booking required. | |
| Bingham | Grow Your Own Sunflower* | Saturday 6 May, 9:30am - 4:30pm | Decorate your own plant pot, then plant your seed and watch it grow! Free, no booking required. While stocks last. |
| Seed Swap* | Tuesday 2 May - Friday 12 May, during normal opening times | Bring any packets of unwanted seeds, and swap them for others free of charge! Share your seeds and lets grow together. | |
| Vote for your favourite King Charles III stamp | Tuesday 2 May - Friday 12 May, during normal opening times | Our staff have designed a stamp for the Coronation... vote for your favourite! | |
| Colour a Crown | Tuesday 2 May, 9:30am - 5pm | Decorate a crown for our window display! Free, no booking required. | |
| What Would I Do... | Tuesday 2 May - Friday 5 May, during normal opening hours | What would you do if you were King/Queen for a day? Come and write your royal commands and help fill our window! Free, all ages welcome. | |
| Carlton | Tuesday 25 April - Saturday 6 May, during normal opening times | Colour some bunting and decorate a crown to decorate the library! Suitable for all ages. | |
| Eastwood | Places of Welcome does Afternoon Tea | Thursday 4 May, 2pm - 4pm | Join us for tea and cakes. All welcome! |
| Royal Treasure Hunt | |||
| Edwinstowe | Grow Your Own Sunflower* | Saturday 29 April, 6 May & 13 May, 11am - 12:30pm | Decorate your own plant pot, then plant your seed and watch it grow! Free, no booking required. While stocks last. |
| Make a 'mini crown' (take away activity) | Tuesday 2 May - Saturday 6 May, during normal opening times | Make and decorate a mini crown ready for the Coronation celebrations! Free. | |
| Royal colouring | Tuesday 2 May - Saturday 6 May, during normal opening times | Get into the celebratory spirit with our children's colouring pages. | |
| Gedling | Decorating Bunting | Thursday 26 April - Thursday 4 May, during normal opening times | Drop-in activity, free of charge. |
| Coronation Celebration | Saturday 6 May, all morning | Make your own crown and play fun board games to celebrate the Coronation! Parent supervision required. | |
| Hucknall | Coronation Crowns | Saturday 6 May, 10:30am - 12pm | Come and make a crown with us! Free family event, no booking required. |
| Grow Your Own Sunflower* | Saturday 13 May, 10:30am - 12pm | Decorate your own plant pot, then plant your seed and watch it grow! Free, no booking required. While stocks last. | |
| Make Your Own Bunting | Tuesday 2 May, 3:30pm - 5pm | Make a decorate Coronation bunting! Suitable for 4-11 year olds with adult supervision. Free, no booking required. | |
| Huthwaite | Cakey Crafternoon | Friday 5 May, 3:30pm - 4:30pm | Drop by for a spot of cake, and create a commemorative decoration for our new King's coronation! Free, no booking required. |
| Keyworth | Coronation Crafts | Saturday 29 April, 10:30am - 12pm | Take part in a variety of crafts, suitable for children of all ages. Under 8s must be supervised by an adult. Free, no need to book. |
| Kimberley | Keep Calm and Carry On Afternoon Tea | Friday 5 May, 2:30pm - 4pm | Join us for tea and cake. All welcome, just turn up! |
| Children's Crafting | Friday 5 May, 10am - 11am & 3:30 - 4:30 | Make your own Coronation wreath! Free, no booking required. | |
| Royal Treasure Hunt | |||
| Kirkby in Ashfield | Make Your Own Stained Glass Crown | Tuesday 2 May, 11am - 12pm | Make your own crown for the Coronation! Free children's event, no booking required. |
| Lowdham | Grow Your Own Sunflower* | Thursday 4 May, 2:30pm - 4pm | Decorate your own plant pot, then plant your seed and watch it grow! Free, no booking required. While stocks last. |
| Newark | Crown-making craft | Saturday 6 May, 10am - 12pm | Please note all children under 8 must be supervised by a responsible adult. |
| Retford | Barkingham Palace Dog Search and Cultivate for the Coronation Sunflower Growing Activity* | Thursday 4th of May – Wednesday 10th May | Help the Royal Jack Russell’s find the flowers for King Charles Garden! Your prize is a sunflower growing kit for you to take part in our amazing tallest sunflower competition. |
| Cultivate for the Coronation Sunflower growing activity* | Thursday 4th May – ends Friday 1st September 2023 |
Post your flower photos to our Facebook page! Winner and runner up notified by Friday 22nd September. |
|
| Coronation Crown Making |
Saturday 6th May 10:30am – 2:00pm |
To celebrate the coronation, we are having a free drop-in craft activity. Make your own colourful crowns! | |
| Right Royal Reads Book Display and Royal Coronation Window Display | Until Saturday 6th May | In our Children’s Library you will see a fabulous book display focusing on Royalty, while our window display showcases numerous Coronation events! You can also do our Coronation Colouring activity! | |
| Coronation Colouring | Until Saturday 6th May | You can be a part of the Coronation festivities by colouring in these fantastic sheets showcasing parts of the Coronation! If you hand them in and we can display them in the library! | |
| Skegby and Stanton Hill | Coronation Coffee Morning | Wednesday 3 May, 10am - 11am | It’s free to take part, no need to book. For more information visit the library or phone 0115 937 3509. |
| Seed Swap* | From Wednesday 3 May | Bring any packets of unwanted seeds, and swap them for others free of charge! Share your seeds and lets grow together. | |
| Southwell | Grow Your Own Sunflower* | Sunday 7 May, 11am - 2:30pm | Decorate your own plant pot, then plant your seed and watch it grow! Free, no booking required. While stocks last. |
| Sutton in Ashfield | Coronation Places of Welcome | Friday 5 May, 10:30am - 12pm | Join us for a complimentary and a cuppa, PLUS meet local children's author Jan Parnham to talk all things nature as well as her writing life. Free, no booking required. |
| Coronation Make & Cake | Saturday 29 April, 11am - 12pm | Decorate your own cake to enjoy! Free children's event, no booking required. | |
| Grow Your Own Sunflower* | Saturday 13 May, 11am - 12pm | Decorate your own plant pot, then plant your seed and watch it grow! Free, no booking required. While stocks last. | |
| Toton | Coronation Coffee Morning | Wednesday 3 May, 10am - 12pm | Join us for a cuppa. |
| Warsop | Coronation Coffee Morning & Quiz | Friday 5 May, 10am - 12pm | Join us for a coffee and cake. Quiz begins at 11am. |
| Children's Craft | Friday 5 May, 3pm - 4:30pm | Join us in making a paperchain guardsman! | |
| Grow Your Own Sunflower* | Tuesday 9 May & Friday 12 May, 3pm - 4:30pm | Decorate your own plant pot, then plant your seed and watch it grow! Free, no booking required. While stocks last. | |
| West Bridgford | Grow Your Own Sunflower* | Saturday 6 May, 2pm - 3pm | Decorate your own plant pot, then plant your seed and watch it grow! Free, no booking required. While stocks last. |
| Worksop | Crown Jewels Treasure Hunt | Saturday 15 April - Saturday 6 May, during normal opening times | Find the hidden crowns in our library and spell the secret word. Hand into staff for a chance to win a prize. |
| Best Dressed Library | Closing date 12 May | Help us decorate and celebrate the coronation by filling our library with your creations. The theme is cultivate: you can craft, draw, sew or knit plants and flowers, or even bring in a real potted plant! Also, decorate your own section of bunting and fist bump our new King in our royal photo op! | |
| Coronation Crafts | Saturday 29 April & Saturday 13 May, 10:30am - 11:30am | Crafts and fun for all the family. Free, no booking required. | |
| Coronation crowns | Saturday 6 May, 10:30am - 12pm | Calling all children! Come and make your own crown. Free, no booking required. |
Sessions marked * are supported by Arts Council England funding
Volunteer with us!
Fancy volunteering your time on Monday 8 May? Check out our volunteering opportunities here, and stay tuned for more ways to help from the comfort of your own home.
Browse the Inspire Picture Archive
Get in to the celebratory spirit and get inspiration for your street party by browsing hundreds of images on the Inspire Picture Archive of previous Coronation celebrations in Nottinghamshire, including those of Queen Elizabeth II, King Edward VII and King George V. You can also discover images of King Charles III's past visits to Nottinghamshire.
Submit your Coronation Images
Can you help us reach our target of 30,000 images on the Inspire Picture Archive by the Coronation of King Charles III on 6 May? We need only another 684 images! We would love for you to submit your memories of King Charles in Nottinghamshire, photos of the previous Coronation, or images of your celebrations leading up to and on the 6 May. Perhaps your street is having a party, you've made a delicious cake fit for the King, or you're simply watching the Coronation on TV. Whatever the celebration, we'd love to preserve the memories forever. Submit your images here.
Coronation weekend BBC TV Licence waiver
We are pleased to announce that on Saturday 6 May and Sunday 7 May, the BBC is offering a one-off TV Licence dispensation which allows members of the community to enjoy both the Coronation and Coronation Concert in our libraries. Visitors are welcome to stream the events using our public computers during normal opening hours, with any special streaming events listed below.
Please note: library cards are required for computer access, normal limitations apply, see here for more information on our computer access.
