July 2026

“July is not only a season of the year; it is a season of the mind and memory. Hot days and sultry nights and crashing thunderstorms…”

– Hal Borland

Things in the library Do you have overdue books?

With the summer holidays approaching, we’re asking our library users to check whether they have books that are overdue (or due to be returned during the summer). If your book has hit its renewal limit, you can bring it in to be reissued if you still need it. If your book has been requested by another user, bringing it back promptly means it can reach the next borrower quickly. If you have any queries about books you have on loan, you can contact us by email or phone or drop in to see us.

New books in the library

Below are some new library acquisitions — see here for more recently added books. To borrow any of these books, please join the library (if you haven’t already).

• Gait Problems in Cerebral Palsy (Wiley, 2025)
• Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy for Anorexia Nervosa (Routledge, 2025)
• Pediatric Hand Deformities in Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy (Springer, 2024)
• Oxford Textbook of Paediatric Surgery (Oxford University Press, 2026)

This month’s reading group book Things in the news July awareness events

Following is a selection of awareness events coming up in the next month.

• Alcohol Awareness Week – Taking place 6–12 July, this week aims to share information on how alcohol affects health and wellbeing and provide support on cutting down your alcohol intake. The theme for this year is ‘Alcohol and me’.
• South Asian Heritage Month – Running throughout July, the aim of this event is to celebrate South Asian cultures, commemorate their histories and heritages, and educate. The theme for 2026 is ‘Unity in Diversity’.
• Disability Pride Month – Also running throughout July, this event celebrates the creativity, resilience, and achievements of disabled people. See the link for resources.

Safeguarding children not in school

This information hub, created by The Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel, provides information for practitioners working with children on how to identify and respond to safeguarding concerns involving children who are missing education, are home-schooled, or have low school attendance. It includes a wealth of resources in both video and PDF formats.

Young children at highest risk worldwide from unsafe food illness

Children under the age of 5 make up 9% of the global population, yet face almost three times the risk of illness caused by unsafe food, according to new WHO estimates. New figures suggest that unsafe food causes around 866 million illnesses and 1.5 million deaths annually, many of which are preventable through measures such as improved sanitisation, food safety practices such as pasteurisation, and access to health care.

One year of the disposable vapes ban

New data from Action on Smoking and Health indicates a dramatic decline in the use of disposable vapes among children and adults, following the ban imposed in June 2025. Data collected from 11–17 year-olds who vape indicates that, in 2026, just 13% mainly use disposable vapes, down from a peak of 69% in 2023.

Children in northern England more likely to experience poor mental health

A new report from Health Equity North indicates that nearly one in five primary school children are currently experiencing a mental health disorder, with the rates of mental health difficulties higher in the North and Midlands regions. It features examples of positive efforts to tackle the increase in mental health difficulties among children, as well as recommendations for the government on how to tackle factors which could be at the root of this widespread problem, such as child poverty and housing insecurity,

Source: Health Equity North Data indicates HPV vaccine saving lives

New data has indicated that the HPV vaccine has effectively reduced the risk of death from cervical cancer among women under 30 to zero. Between 2020 and 2024, no women in their early 20s died from cervical cancer in England; of this age range, 9 out of 10 women had received the HPV vaccine, most at the age of 12 or 13. The vaccine has been delivered through a school-based programme since 2008, with both boys and girls now offered the vaccine.

Briefing: Healthy Start programme a good investment for families

This policy briefing from The Food Foundation sets out the benefits for low-income families of government investment in the Healthy Start scheme. The scheme provides payments to low-income families to support affordability of fruit, vegetables, and milk. It encourages the government to increase payments in line with inflation, to better support the development and growth of children.

Online training: Sensory processing in the early years

The Council for Disabled Children is providing a free online training session on Monday 6 July on understanding sensory processing differences in infants and young children. The session, aimed at Early Years practitioners in family hub local areas, will also cover creating sensory environments conducive to learning. See the link for details on how to book a place.

Things around Sheffield Exhibition: Queer Legacies in Sheffield’s Art Collection

Graves Gallery (above the Central Library) is currently hosting an exhibition of works and objects from Sheffield’s collections which explore how Queer art reflects today’s world. Works and objects are grouped around three themes: revolution, revelation, and reinforcement. The exhibition runs until 27 February 2027.

Source: Sheffield Museums Crossed Wires returns!

This week sees the return of the podcast festival Crossed Wires! The festival began on 2 July and runs through to Sunday 5 July. See the link for programme details.

Book of the month Next month

Next month’s blog post will be published on Friday 31 July — look out for it then!

Illingworth Library Podcast is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://illingworthlibrary.wordpress.com/