Steve Antony

Steve Antony’s Role as Patron to Swindon Libraries Children’s Reading Services

As Patron to Swindon Libraries Children's Reading services Steve Antony regularly meets with his local librarians, holds events throughout the Borough of Swindon and supports the National Literacy Trust’s Swindon Hub.

Steve and Swindon Libraries brainstorm fun event ideas and competitions. As Patron his main driving force is to help encourage families to engage more with their local library.

At least once a year Steve runs a creative competition with help from Swindon Libraries Outreach Librarian Deborah Jackson. So far there has been a Design A Doughnut, Make Mr Panda's Hat, Create a Planet, Silly Socks, When I Grow Up, Make a Marvellous Monster, Make A Colourful Creature, Design a Robot and You Can!

To enter you need a library card. Over the past 9 years Swindon Libraries have received thousands of entries. Steve chooses a winner from each of Swindon Libraries 14 libraries. Each winner receives a book prize (or prizes).

The competition is launched along with the Summer Reading Challenge in a Swindon library and ends with a fun family event and awards ceremony. All of the entries are exhibited in Swindon Central Library for several weeks.

Steve has held and partaken in numerous events at several of my borough’s libraries. He has presented awards for the Summer Reading Challenge and even joined HRH The Duchess of Cornwall for an event with the National Literacy Trust at North Swindon Library.

In 2022 Swindon Libraries named a day after Steve Antony. ‘Steve Antony Day’ now takes place every June across all 14 libraries within the Borough of Swindon. For ‘Steve Antony Day’, Steve carries out a whistle stop tour of all the libraries - each library is filled with fun activities to mark the day.

In 2018 Steve was called-upon to design a new children’s library card. The card, featuring Mr Panda, is issued through the registry office, so all newborn children in Swindon will receive one. Pictured below is Arlo Blake, with his new library card.

In Nov-Dec 2024 Swindon Libraries created an interactive story trail using Steve’s picture book, The Queen’s Present. The trail encouraged families to visit 14 places in the town including Central Library, The Incredible Comic Shop, Wyvern Theatre and Museum of Computing.

In 2016 the Borough of Swindon was shockingly set to lose 14 of their 15 libraries. Save Swindon Libraries, headed by Sarah Church, made an incredible impact in saving the town’s libraries and ensuring that public funding continues to the largest 5 libraries.

The Bookseller Magazine published Steve Antony’s open letter to Swindon Council, which you can read it here.

At present the Swindon Borough Council manages five of the borough’s libraries, and they are as follows:

• Central Library

• Highworth Library 

• North Swindon Library

• Park Library

• West Swindon Library

The remaining libraries are serviced by Parish and Trust groups:

• Beechcroft Library

• Covingham Library 

• Even Swindon Library 

• Liden Library 

• Moredon and Rodbourne Cheney Library

• Old Town Children’s Library

• Penhill Library 

• Pinetrees Library

• Wroughton Library

You can visit My Library By Right for more on the nationwide campaign.

You can search for a UK Public Library near you, here. You can join Swindon Libraries here.

Libraries week

Here are a short series of videos Steve filmed about Swindon Libraries for Libraries Week, 2020.