1,847 Southend children did the library reading challenge this summer, down from 2,276 in 2025. Borrowing passed 28,000 against almost 43,000 a year earlier.
1,847 children took part in Southend’s library Summer Reading Challenge this year, down from 2,276 in 2025. The council’s final figures, published last week, describe the summer as a “fantastic success”. Its own figures for last year, published in April, show fewer children taking part and fewer books borrowed.
The challenge ran at Southend’s six libraries from 18 July to 29 August under the national theme “Read to the Beat”. Children read anything they liked over the holidays, from comics and poetry to audiobooks, and collected stickers and medals as they went.
This year against last year
| 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Children taking part | 2,276 | 1,847 |
| New child library members | nearly 600 | 487 |
| Items borrowed | almost 43,000 children's books | more than 28,000 books, e-books and audiobooks |
| Volunteers | 53 | 57 |
The 2026 figures are from the council’s final results release of 6 October. The 2025 figures are from its volunteer appeal of 21 April, which listed them under “A proven impact”.
Taking part fell by 429 children, or 19%. The borrowing figures are not measured the same way: last year’s counted children’s books, this year’s counts books, e-books and audiobooks together. Even so, this year’s wider count is roughly 15,000 lower. The October release does not mention either fall, and gives no reason for them.
What went well
- 929 children finished the challenge, about half of those who started.
- 57 volunteers gave more than 1,500 hours, up from 53 volunteers last year. The council had hoped for 60, ten at each library.
- 487 children joined the library for the first time.
The most borrowed titles were There’s A Dinosaur In Your Book by Tom Fletcher, Despicable Bean! by Sue Hendra, and For Whom the Ball Rolls, a Dog Man book by Dav Pilkey.
Councillor Matt Dent, the cabinet member for business, culture, music and tourism, thanked the families, volunteers and staff. “It’s been wonderful to see almost 500 new children becoming Library members and almost 2,000 across Southend getting involved and discovering the joy of reading,” he said.
What it means for you
- No child is too young to join. You can sign up at any branch or online, there are no overdue fees on children’s books, and reserving from another branch is free. The council’s children’s library page lists the year-round clubs, including Storyrhymes for under-fives.
- Volunteers are recruited in the spring. This year’s call opened in April, with a deadline of 1 June and a commitment of at least ten days over the summer. Young people aged 14 to 25 made up 37 of last year’s 53 volunteers.
- One branch’s future is under review. Our Southchurch Library consultation story sets out what is proposed and when a decision is expected.
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