The story behind the trail

Explore your city and discover new adventures through the power of stories and reading.

The National Literacy Trust and the Bupa Foundation have partnered to create the Salford Literacy Trail. 20 BookBench sculptures will appear across Salford this summer, from 14 July – 9 September. The colourful benches have been co-created by local schools and artists, to help bring joy to our community and inspire reading.

When you encourage a child to read, you’re not just engaging them with the magic of stories, you’re helping them learn and develop skills that will support them throughout their lives.

Interested in buying a bench?

Want to buy a BookBench? Our auction is now live and will close on 29nd September 2022 at 7pm. All the money raised will fund local literacy projects.

DISCOVER MORE

Discover our BookBenches and win a prize!

We’d love to hear about your experience of the trail. This survey takes no longer than five minutes to complete, and you’ll be entered into our prize draw to win Quayside MediaCity experience vouchers, book bundles and more!

Complete our survey

The National Literacy Trust

The National Literacy Trust is transforming lives through literacy and are dedicated to raising literacy levels across the UK. We work with families, schools, and in the communities where low levels of literacy and social mobility are seriously impacting people’s lives.

Learn more

Bupa Foundation

The Bupa Foundation is a charity funded entirely by global healthcare company, Bupa. The charity champions the importance of mental health, funding and delivering practical projects that have a positive impact on people’s mental health.

Learn more

Latest news

Find out the latest news and exciting events happening with the Salford Literacy Trail!

All News
Monday, July 18, 2022

Salford Literacy Trail launches at Bupa Place

Read about our launch at BUPA in Salford Quays.

Read more
Monday, July 18, 2022

Creating the Elmer BookBench

Read on to discover how the Elmer BookBench was born.

Read more
Monday, May 30, 2022

The Story of the Trail

By Anna Russell, Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability Director, Bupa Global & UK and Bupa Foundation Director

Read more

#SalfordBookBenches

Contact Us

Get in touch to learn more

If you have any questions or comments about the Salford Literacy Trail, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Contact
Interested in buying a bench?

Want to buy a BookBench? Our auction is now live and will close on 22nd September 2022 at 7pm. All the money raised will fund local literacy projects.

Salford BookBench Auction