An award-winning performance poet, playwright, and children’s author is pedalling his way to Portland as part of a ‘Library Marathon’ tour.

Waterstones Children’s Laureate Joseph Coelho will be riding his bamboo bike to Portland Library, where he will call in tomorrow, Friday June 16 at 3pm

He is on an epic cross-country mission to join a library in every local authority in the UK – more than 200 libraries in total – with the aim of encouraging people, young and old, to join their local library.

Across the ‘Library Marathon’ tour, Joseph has been championing local libraries and the vital role they play within the community and inspiring a love of reading in young people.

Joseph is acclaimed for his work including the Luna Loves picture books, middle grade series Fairy Tales Gone Bad, YA verse novel The Girl Who Became a Tree as well as poetry collections for all ages including Overheard in a Tower Block and Poems Aloud.

This is the only leg of Coelho’s epic marathon where the Waterstones Children’s Laureate will be travelling by bicycle.

Following a return ferry ride to the Isle of Wight, he will cycle to Cowes Library, Coelho will be pedalling between Portsmouth and Plymouth, with stopovers in Southampton, Bournemouth, Poole, Dorset, and Torquay.