Thank you, Dolly

There’s so much we could say about Dolly. Her music, her films, her huge amount of charity work, her humour and, of course, the books! 

Dolly’s love of books and reading led her to start the Imagination Library, with a simple idea: every child should have the chance to grow up with books. 

Her dad couldn’t read or write, and this inspired Dolly to give children the opportunity to discover the joy of reading. 

Dolly chose The Little Engine That Could as the first book for the Imagination Library. She spoke about how the little engine saying, “I think I can.” and those words echo her own life and career. 

What started as a small idea has grown into something huge, with more than 300 million books gifted to children around the world. 

Here in Southwark, 10,000 children are registered with the Imagination Library. 

Dolly did so much in her lifetime, and her legacy will live on in so many different ways. 

We’re proud to be part of the local partnership helping to keep Dolly’s idea going here in Southwark to help more and more children to experience the magic of receiving a book every month. 

Thank you, Dolly.