Author Olivia Wakeford will be running a creative writing workshop with children at Llanishen Leisure Centre in Cardiff on 25 August from 3-4pm.
Olivia has just won the Wales Book of the Year Award for Children and Young People with her moving and tender book ‘My Dog’, which is set in the Llanishen area so children’s swimming lessons that afternoon will be themed around her story.
As one of twenty authors selected for support by the GLL Literary Foundation, Olivia will be sharing the joy of reading with young people at the centre.
“I’m excited about going poolside and can already smell the vinegar from the café that overlooks the pool,” she said. “Or at least it used to back in the day.”
GLL is the charitable social enterprise that runs Llanishen and other Cardiff leisure centres on behalf of Cardiff City Council.
“2026 is the National Year of Reading and, as part of our mission to inspire young readers, we’ve invited Olivia Wakeford to run this free session at a leisure centre she remembers well having grown up around here,” said Matt Simmons, GLL Head of Transformation for the Cardiff partnership.
“She has worked in film and television, been a scriptwriter, dog walker, PA and more but says her favourite job is writing novels for children. Her latest book is called ‘The Shadow Pony’ and is also set in Wales.
“We’re really looking forward to welcoming her back to Llanishen for a fun event that combines the benefits of keeping fit and active with the wonderful world of reading.”
For more information, visit the website or email llanishen@gll.org