Over twenty years ago, two women – Mary Briggs and Elizabeth Hammill – had the vision to create something extraordinary: a national centre dedicated to children’s books, based not in London but in Newcastle upon Tyne. I remember those early days, when the project office was based in St Peter’s Basin, as work was underway to realise that remarkable ambition. It was driven by the belief that the North East could host something truly national, rooted in community but reaching far beyond it.
That vision became Seven Stories. Housed in a converted Victorian mill in the Ouseburn Valley, it has grown into one of the country’s most distinctive and internationally respected cultural institutions -a place where imagination, education and heritage come together.
The power of stories and reading
At its heart lies a simple but profound truth: stories shape who we are. From the earliest picture book shared between parent and child to the novels that stay with us for life, stories are how we learn to see the world and to see ourselves within it.
Reading does far more than teach the mechanics of literacy. It builds empathy, language, creativity, and gives children the emotional tools to navigate their lives. For example:
- Research shows that children who read for pleasure often make greater cognitive progress between ages 10 and 16 than some other major influences -with one study finding that reading books often, going to the library regularly and reading newspapers at 16 delivered a combined effect four times greater than having a parent with a degree.
- Others show that if all children in the UK read for pleasure daily, modelling suggests up to 1.1 million more could achieve five good GCSEs within 30 years -and that could add up to £4.6 billion a year to UK GDP.
- A survey of parents found that 81% saw quality time together as a key benefit of reading with their child, and 88% agreed that reading with their child is about shared enjoyment not a chore.
- Alarmingly, reading enjoyment is in decline: just 32.7% of 8-18 year-olds in the UK now say they enjoy reading in their free time -the lowest level in two decades.
When you consider the power of reading -of literature opening up worlds large and small, of discovery, insight, learning -surely this must be one of the greatest assets we have, as a region and as a nation.
Seven Stories as a national and global asset
Seven Stories safeguards that legacy: its world-class archive holds the manuscripts, illustrations and correspondence of the authors and artists who have shaped generations of readers. It works with schools, universities, libraries and communities, and it does so from a city whose identity has always been tied to learning, creativity and innovation.
Its reach is now international. Collaborations with the British Library and the Clinton Presidential Library in the United States, and working with the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, have expanded its impact -helping bring books into homes, nurturing reading habits and inspiring the next generation of readers. This is not simply regional, this is national and global.
A call to smart investment and regional recognition
And yet, for all of this, I’m not convinced that the true value of Seven Stories has been fully recognised here in the region. For all our talk about growth, innovation and opportunity, we sometimes overlook the quiet but transformational power of culture and literacy to drive social and economic change.
If devolution is about shaping our own story, then institutions like Seven Stories must be part of that next chapter. We don’t always need to invent something new to demonstrate ambition. Sometimes the most powerful step forward is to nurture what already inspires, unites, and enriches the institutions that make us who we are.
What we need is impactful investment-building on what we already have, what is trusted, what works. I might well be biased, but for me it is difficult to imagine a more deserving place to invest than Seven Stories.
Because when Seven Stories thrives, our region thrives: economically, culturally and emotionally. It draws visitors, creates skilled jobs, strengthens our identity, and enriches young lives. Its story is our story. And the next chapter depends on how much we value it.
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