Cheshire East libraries health and wellbeing offer
We provide a range of health and wellbeing services and activities. You can find health information and links to useful resources on our health & wellbeing page. For social activities and events, see the individual library pages or their Facebook page.
We subscribe to the national Reading Well schemes for adult mental health, dementia, long term conditions, children and young people.
We also have a dementia pledge.
Reading Well scheme
Reading Well supports you to understand and manage your health and wellbeing using helpful reading. The books are all recommended by health experts, as well as people with lived experience of the conditions and topics covered and their relatives and carers.
The books are available for anyone to borrow from the local library, or you may be recommended a title by a health professional to support treatment. Many of the Reading Well titles are available to borrow as e-books.
The programme is delivered by The Reading Agency in partnership with Libraries Connected as part of the Universal Public Library Health and Wellbeing Offer.
Reading well for mental health
Reading Well for Mental Health provides helpful information and support for managing common mental health conditions, or dealing with difficult feelings and experiences. Some books also include personal stories from people who are living with or caring for someone with mental health needs.
Reading Well for teens
Reading Well for Teens suggests recommended reading and digital resources to help young people understand their feelings, handle difficult experiences, and boost their confidence. The books cover a broad range of topics such as wellbeing, anxiety, depression, body image, neurodiversity, bereavement, sexuality and gender identity, all within the wider context of mental health and wellbeing.
The booklist is targeted at teenagers (13–18) and includes a range of reading levels and formats to support less confident readers and encourage engagement.
Reading Well for children
Reading Well for Children provides quality-assured information, stories and advice to support children’s mental health and wellbeing. It covers general information and advice about understanding and managing feelings, school and online pressures, bereavement, parental mental health needs, and living well with specific diagnosed conditions and physical disabilities.
The booklist is targeted at children in Key Stage 2 (aged 7-11), but includes titles aimed at a wide range of reading levels to support less confident readers, and to encourage children to read together with their siblings and carers.
Reading Well for dementia
Reading Well for Dementia provides information and advice for people living with dementia, support for living well, advice for relatives and carers, as well as fiction, memoir and photographic books used in reminiscence therapy.
Dementia pledge
Our libraries are at the heart of the community and we want them to be accessible to everyone. For people with dementia, library visits and other library services can make a huge contribution to wellbeing. Our staff are trained in dementia awareness and will do everything they can to help.
Our offer includes:
- home library service for those who can no longer get to the library
- free books in a range of formats
- recommended/targeted reading lists including Reading Well for dementia
- multimedia resources
- local & family history collections
- online resources that can be accessed in the library or at home
- free online access for members in the library
- reminiscence collections for loan to groups
- social & recreational activities (ask at your local library)
- information & signposting
- learning & study spaces
- meeting rooms for hire
- public toilets
- mobile library service visiting rural areas
To find out more, see library services.
Page last reviewed: 24 May 2024
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