Barnes Children's Literary Festival chosen as a Coronation Champion

Barnes Children’s Literary Festival has been chosen by King Charles and Queen Camilla to receive an award as one of 500 "Coronation Champions". 

Devised by the Queen and administered by the Royal Voluntary Service, the awards celebrate 500 volunteers from across the country who have made an exceptional difference in their communities in a wide range of causes. 

The festival’s director, Amanda Brettargh, will receive a specially designed Coronation Champions pin and a certificate signed by the King and Queen in recognition of the festival, which is run entirely by volunteers. 

Founded by local families in 2015, the Barnes Children’s Literature Festival is the largest dedicated children’s literature festival in the UK. Held on 24th and 25th June this year, it is the only national literature festival to be entirely organised and delivered by over 150 unpaid volunteers, and the only children’s literature festival to have won the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service. 

Brettargh said: "It’s an absolute honour to have been chosen by Their Majesties as a Coronation Champion and I feel humbled to have been recognised because it takes a village to deliver the UK’s largest children’s literature festival and it just couldn’t happen without the commitment of more than 150 heroes from every Barnes school, charity and community organisation. 

"They continue to inspire me everyday with their dedication to providing every child in London with the opportunity to experience the power of live literature."