We are excited to announce that The National Paralympic Heritage Trust has partnered with Calibre Audio to produce the audiobook version of the biography “The Spirit of Stoke Mandeville, The Story of Sir Ludwig Guttmann”.

National Reading Group Day takes place on Saturday 20th June in celebration of reading groups and the positive effect that these groups have on their members. The benefits of being part of a reading group have been widely discussed including social interaction and sharing the love of books and reading.

Quizzes have been going great guns during lockdown and we've all enjoyed spending extra time with our pets - or seeing other people's gatecrash a video call! So what could be better than a combination of the two - a dog quiz suitable for all the family.

It’s Hi VIS Fortnight, a country-wide initiative to highlight accessible library services and alternative formats available to visually impaired people. To celebrate this year’s theme of ‘the word in all its formats’ we thought we would bring your attention to some inspiring and informative stories on how some individuals have coped with the challenges of sight loss.

Reading books has many health benefits; from reducing stress and helping to combat memory loss, to boosting mental health. Books provide us with companionship, adventure, empathy and enjoyment, and listening to audiobooks extends all of this to people who cannot read printed books.

Here at Calibre two of our volunteers have spoken of their memories 75 years on, as they remember a day of exuberant celebrations after the terrible loss and deprivations of the time. Denise, our Editorial Coordinator, spoke to Jane and Mary over the telephone.

We are over a week into the 2.6 Challenge and our fundraisers are going from strength to strength to raise some much-needed funds for Calibre Audio.

Despite the continuing lockdown, and all the challenges that this brings, our Membership teams have caught up on the backlog and are processing your requests as normal.

I am delighted to announce that from Tuesday 14th April we will be reopening our CD’s and memory sticks service.

Did you know that all our members have access to stream our audiobooks online all day, everyday? That means no more waiting for books in the post; you can choose what to listen to, when you want to with 24 hour access to our website. If you are unsure how to do this, we are here to help.

If you have read a great book and want to signpost it to others, call our new dedicated answerphone on 01296 767 355 and leave your review in a message – and we can then share it on our website and social media, allowing other readers to discover your hidden gem.

We have sifted through the best free online resources to keep your children connected to the world of books. From listening to the children's laureate read to Harry Potter quizzes, this is just the tip of the iceberg of support available at this time.

This year we are delighted to be working with CILIP’s Carnegie and Greenaway Awards by making their shortlist accessible on audiobooks for everyone with a print disability.

The 13th March would have been the 102nd birthday of Calibre member Marjorie Blamey, MBE. Marjorie became one of the world’s best known botanical illustrators and her wonderful work can most likely be found on all of our own bookshelves. She illustrated such classics as the Collin’s Gem Guide to Wild Flowers and Cassell’s Wild Flowers of Britain.

It’s World Book Day and children across the country are dressing up as their favourite book characters to celebrate their love of books and reading. Not to be outdone, staff and volunteers at Calibre Audio are joining in the fun.

Today, in support of World Book Day, Calibre Audio announces the next phase of its development with exciting changes to the service.