With the cold of February behind us, Suffolk Libraries are turning their attention to March, where World Book Day, Shakespeare Week, National Poetry Day and the first official day of Spring are all around the corner. 

All libraries will be open and ready to welcome visitors throughout the month of March for a range of different activities:

Saturday 2nd March & 9th March 10:00 to 13:00 – Painting workshop with Amy Beckwith – Ipswich County Library – Examine how to paint with gouache and watercolour mediums at this three-hour workshop. Price is £25 and includes demonstrations, all art materials and light refreshments. Book in advance by contacting Amy Beckwith on 07936 798687 or email [email protected]

Saturday 2nd March 09:00 to 17:00 – Fairtrade Fun Day – Felixstowe Library – Join Felixstowe Fairtrade Forum for a celebration of 10 years of Felixstowe being a Fairtrade Town. Enjoy games, competitions, displays, a tombola, a raffle, a chocolate fountain, a Fairtrade stall and refreshments.

Monday 4th March 10:30 – Meet the Poet: Tim Gardiner – Brandon Library – All are welcome to hear Tim Gardiner talk about his poetry and read from his latest book The Flintknapper’s Ghost.

Monday 4th March 9:30 to 11:30 – Read and Feed: New Breastfeeding support drop-in – Chantry Library – Suffolk Libraries’ very first Read and Feed session will be at the library with a Breastfeeding Network Registered Peer Supporter from Ipswich Breastfeeding Mamas UK. Drop in for support and information. Refreshments available for a small charge.

Thursday 7th March – World Book Day: Design a bookmark competition – Great Cornard Library – Take part in a competition to design your own bookmarks, take part in a book scavenger hunt and enjoy some children’s crafts. Then get involved in some board games from 6pm. 

Thursday 7th March 9:30 to 11:30 – World Book Day: Stories & Colouring – Bungay Library – Pre-school children and their parents/carers are invited to drop in for stories and colouring to celebrate World Book Day.

Suffolk Libraries half-term activities

Friday 8th March 18:00 to 19:00 – Harry Potter Book Night – Chantry Library – Attend in fancy dress for beastly crafts, chocolate frogs, butterbeer, storytelling, the Sorting Hat and much more. Advance booking by contacting the library is essential. Tickets are £4.

Sutton Hoo
Sutton Hoo

Saturday 9th March 13:00 to 14:00 – Sutton Hoo Roadshow: Talk for adults – Aldeburgh Library – Staff from Sutton Hoo will be showing artefacts and talking about the awe-inspiring Anglo Saxon site.

Saturday 9th March 10:00 to 12:00 – Pop-up Fairtrade café – Beccles Library – Fairtrade Beccles will be at the library with a chocolate-themed café. Enjoy cakes, coffee, chocolate and other refreshments as well as a children’s chocolate trail and Lego club.

Saturday 9th March 14:30 to 16:30 – Joint children’s project with the Needham Free Public Library, Massachusetts – Needham Market Library – Children are invited to make artistic drawings of their favourite local places as part of a joint project with the Needham Free Public Library in Massachusetts.

Monday 11th March 13:30 to 14:30 – Sound relaxation with Peta Jane G King – Shotley (Suffolk Libraries Local) – Enjoy deep relaxation to the magical sounds and vibrations of tonal instruments. Bring something comfortable to lie on. Tickets are £8 and booking is required through 01473 328061

Tuesday 12th March 10:00 to 15:00 – IT and eLibrary help and advice drop-in from Realise Futures – Lowestoft Library – Bring along your own laptop, tablet or smartphone and get help and advice from Realise Futures. Learn how to connect to the library wifi, make better use of email, renew your loans online, borrow eBooks and eAudiobooks and download digital music, magazines and newspapers from our eLibrary and more.

Wednesday 13th March 10:30 to 11:30 – Wednesday Talk: ‘Why I wrote about Brexit and other stories’ by David Laws – Bury St Edmunds Library – Local author David Laws, renowned for covering key unsettled and difficult political periods in Bury St Edmunds, will be selling and signing copies of his books Exit Day: Brexit – an assassin stalks the Prime Minister and Munich.

Friday 15th March 12:30 to 14:30 – Performance from the U3A Folk Music Players Group – Haverhill Library – All are welcome to a lively performance from the local U3A Folk Music Group.

Film-making workshop

Saturday 16th March 10:00 to 15:00 – Film-making workshop for 11-14 year olds from the Offshoot Foundation – Chantry Library – Are you aged 11-14 and want to make your own music video? Learn new skills in film-making and editing while having fun, no experience necessary. Book in advance by contacting the library. Refreshments provided by the Co-op. Funded by Ipswich Borough Council. 

Saturday 16th March 2:30 to 4:00 – Hooked on Books: Haverhill’s Book Group – Haverhill Library – Come and join Haverhill Library’s new book group. Currently reading ‘How to Stop Time’ by Matt Haig. Please speak to a member of staff for more information and to join.

Saturday 16th March 10:30 to 11:00 – Storytime en Francais – Newmarket Library – Children are invited for French stories, songs and crafts with Gaelle. No knowledge of French required, pick up some words while you’re having fun!

William Shakespeare
Shakespeare Week

Tuesday 19th March 15:45 to 16:45 – Dr Seuss vs William Shakespeare: for 8+ year olds – Gainsborough Community Library – 8+ year-olds are invited to celebrate Shakespeare Week and National Poetry Day with the opportunity to join in a Dr Seuss vs Shakespeare rap battle, make up their own revolting rhymes, try the Shakespeare Insult Generator and more!

Tuesday 19th March 12:45 to 13:30 – Gillian Barella & Friends: Songs through the ages – Woodbridge Library – Friends of Woodbridge Library are hosting a lunchtime concert. Sopranos Joy Bounds and Diana Minter with their accompanist Gillian Barella will perform a range of songs with piano accompaniment. 

Wednesday 20th March 10:30 to 11:30 – ‘Ponderings of a Poet’ by Tim Bridges – Bury St Edmunds – Local poet and children’s author talks about the genesis of his love of poetry, with examples of poems that inspired him. He will also read selections from his own works. Tim encourages audience involvement and discussion about the diversity of poetry and the many forms it takes.

Monday 25th March 14:00 to 16:00 – Top Time: Chair-based yoga – Gainsborough Library – Seniors are invited to have a go at gentle chair-based yoga exercises. 

Tuesday 26th March 14:30 to 16:00 – Top Time: Meet the author: David Laws – Lavenham Library – Local author David Laws will be giving a talk as well as selling and signing copies of his new thriller Exit Day: Brexit: An Assassin stalks the Prime Minister.

Oscar Wilde – An Ideal Husband

Saturday 30th March 14:30 – Suffolk Libraries Presents: An Ideal Husband – Southwold Arts Centre – Oscar Wilde’s An Ideal Husband brings an act of political sin into the heart of the English home. An ambitious government minister, Sir Robert Chiltern, is on an assured smooth ascent to the top. Until Mrs Cheveley appears in London with damning proof of his previous financial chicanery, that is. 

Listed above are some highlighted special events, but for a full list of our recurring events and activities, please visit our website at suffolklibraries.co.uk/events-activities or if you have any questions or queries, contact Suffolk Libraries at [email protected]. 

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