Pop Up – Festival of Stories (see our recent post here) is on the short list, of 4, for the Runnymede Community Project of the Year Award – European Diversity Awards.
The European Diversity Awards celebrate excellence and achievement in diversity and inclusion and the Runnymede Community Project of the Year Award, which is open to community projects from across Europe, recognises the outstanding contribution that community groups make to equality, diversity and inclusion.
The winner will be announced at a ceremony at the Savoy Hotel, London on 22nd September 2011. BBC news reader, Jane Hill has confirmed that she will be presenting the awards this year.
The inaugural Pop Up Festival of Stories took place on July 9th and 10th and has been declared “an astonishing success”! Visitor numbers exceeded expectations as over six thousand children, with their families and friends, flocked to London, UK, to revel in the fun of the first ever Pop Up Festival of Stories – a free two-day festival for kids, celebrating the fun of reading. The festival was the finale to the Pop Up Schools Programme which gave almost 3,000 children aged three to 14 from 8 schools 
the chance to explore books and meet authors and illustrators at exciting host venues in the London area.
Dylan Calder, Pop Up’s Director, said: “Pop Up exceeded all our expectations. We set out to create a free literature event that was both accessible and extraordinary, that children from all kinds of backgrounds could enjoy and be part of…We’re already starting to plan for 2012 and beyond…and we’ll soon be announcing an extension of our programme.”
Author Philip Ardagh on the ceiling in his House of Illusions
Sara Montgomery, Acting Head of Guardian Books which ran a hugely successful pop-up children’s bookshop at the festival, said: “The Guardian is delighted to have been associated with the Pop Up Festival of Stories. It featured a great line-up of authors, which resulted in queues around the corner for signings at the Guardian Bookshop on several occasions. The Guardian Book Doctor, featuring the Guardian’s children’s books editor Julia Eccleshare, was a hit, with no shortage of ‘patients’ requesting their book recommendation diagnoses over the two hours she was in session. Sales were robust, and being part of the festival was valuable exposure for the Guardian Bookshop and the recently-launched children’s books website.”
Former UK Children’s Laureate Michael Rosen described the festival as “A fantastic time for fun, creativity and pure pleasure for children and adults alike.”
Former Children's Laureate Michael Rosen and author/illustrator Hervé Tullet
Nicky Potter was kind enough to send us these lovely photos from the event taken by Danny B. To see more photos check the Pop Up Festival website and the Pop Up Festival Facebook page. Enjoy!
