Today was the Gloucestershire Libraries’ Day of Celebration and loads of authors were out and about celebrating the wonderful work our libraries and librarians do. This is a terrible picture of my friend John Dougherty, who had his audience in Cinderford Library in thrall when I got there, reading poems, telling stories and singing songs in his easy, inspiring style.

John was the “Flying Author” for the day, zooming around, visiting nine libraries across the county. Well done, John. It was great to see you again.

I spent the morning at Mitcheldean Library, telling stories and doing drawings with the children before John got there too. I followed him in Cinderford, telling stories and drawing again. We had great fun and hopefully spread the message that Libraries are great places that should be kept as the focal centres of culture and knowledge.

It was great also to see the illustrator Kate Sheppard, who had come along with her family to join in the fun and support Cinderford Library which, thankfully, has been reprieved, although it has been downgraded to an “Express” library, with fewer opening hours.

Well done everyone for organising such a great day.

It’s a shame that Gloucester County Council are so ashamed of their libraries, that they decreed a blanket ban on the media showing what a wonderful job their staff do and how much their constituents love their libraries – politics eh? There never seems to be any logic to it.