11/06/2026
We are inviting you to join our Walking Books event.
Where: Garden Room at Clifton Park
Date: 01.07.26
Time: 11am โ 1pm
A social walk, a shared story, and a good excuse to talk to strangers
Walking Books is a simple idea from Rotherham Libraries. People meet in a park, put on their headphones and listen to the same audiobook while walking together. When the walk ends, they stop and talk.
You can think of it as parkrun meets a silent disco, with a book in your ears rather than a stopwatch in your hand.
At Clifton Park, everyone will be listening to the same audiobook as we walk together through the park. Afterwards, weโll gather to talk about what weโve heard: ideas, reactions, disagreements, moments that lingered. A shared experience, followed by a conversation.
Walking Books starts from the assumption that reading is more social than we sometimes allow it to be. Listening together lowers the barrier to taking part and brings in people who might not think of themselves as readers. Walking side by side helps too. It takes the pressure off performance and makes conversation easier.
The model is being developed to travel beyond the park, into schools, youth groups and community settings. The aim is to use shared listening to support literacy, wellbeing and belonging, and to offer a practical response to loneliness. This session offers a working example, followed by a discussion about how it could be adapted and scaled to work with your own groups in your own communities. We will also share our plans for our future flagship events and explore how the concept can be tailored to different settings and audiences.
The audiobook will be introduced on the day.
Before you arrive
You may wish to join Rotherham Libraries and set up the BorrowBox audiobook app in advance. Both take only a few minutes.
โข Join Rotherham Libraries:
https://rotherham.ent.sirsidynix.net.uk/custom/web/joining/index.html
โข Set up BorrowBox (audiobooks):
https://www.borrowbox.com/
If you donโt have time beforehand, there will be time on the morning to get set up.
Practical notes
โข Please bring your own headphones or earphones
โข The event takes place outdoors, so dress for the weather
Come for the walk. Stay for the conversation. Leave with a book still playing in your head.
Please contact a member of staff in your local library or contact Riverside library on 01709 823606 if you would like to join in the walk with Rotherham Libraries.
