Elective Home Education Southampton

20/05/2026

Cook and Eat - for free!

Join our four-week health and nutrition cooking programme for parents and carers with children one year old or older.

Running at Best Start Family Hub Pickles Coppice: every Monday from 1 - 22 June, 10am - 12noon

To register fill out our form here https://southampton.portal.uk.empro.verintcloudservices.com/site/southampton/request/parenting-training-community-learning-courses-referral

18/05/2026

10 reasons to love Southampton libraries 🌞📚

Did you know your local library offers….
1. Free library membership for all the family – borrow up to 20 books each!
2. A digital library available 24/7 – free eBooks, eAudiobooks and read newspapers and magazines
3. Welcoming spaces across the city – work, study, or relax for free
4. Friendly, knowledgeable staff – get recommendations, find information, ask us a question
5. Your library from home - access your library account - renew loans in the library app or online
6. New books added daily – reserve for free and collect from your local library
7. Affordable printing – print documents from your device, plus free Wi-Fi
8. Activities and learning for all ages – enjoy story times, learning a language, quizzes, knitting and crafts
9. Help to boost health and wellbeing – take a lunchtime reset to read, unwind
10. Social connection – join a group, make new friends, and enjoy life!

Ready to join? Find out more on our website or pop in and speak to a friendly member of the library team.

18/05/2026

18/05/2026

Breathe easier, Southampton! 🌬️

Clean Air Day is coming to the city on Thursday 18 June, and we want you to be part of the change.

Join us at The Bargate from 1.30pm for a free event packed with tips, tech, and tools to help us all tackle air pollution together.

What’s happening?

🚲 Free bike checks and VOI e-bike/e-scooter trials.
🚌 Hop on a BlueStar bus to explore cleaner travel.
🎮 Interactive games and activities for all ages.
🤝 Meet the experts from My Journey, Mums for Lungs, the University of Southampton, and more!

Pro-tip: Planning to walk or cycle? Use the council’s clean air route mapping tool to find the healthiest path through the city! https://soton.cc/4d3P8go

Keep an eye out for discount codes for sustainable travel being announced soon. Let’s make Southampton’s air cleaner, one journey at a time. 💚

27/04/2026

23/04/2026

23/04/2026

It's World Book Night 🌕

Every year on 23 April, everyone is encouraged to spend time reading any book, in any format. World Book Night 2026 focuses on 'Quick Reads' - short, engaging books by bestselling authors that are easy to read and accessible.

Our library teams secured 300 copies of The Bench, written by popular author Carmel Harrington and are partnering with Best Start Family Hubs and Food Banks across the city to distribute these free books to their clients, encouraging the joy of reading and offering them a chance to join the library if they aren’t already members.

You can also borrow Quick Reads from your local library and joining the library is completely free!

One highlight of World Book Night is the Reading Hour, held from 7–8pm. Set aside time during this hour to read—whether that’s enjoying a book solo, listening to an audiobook, or reading with your children at bedtime.

Southampton City Libraries