Committee

YLG North West is operated by a team of enthusiastic volunteers:

Jake Hope

Is the Chair of the Working Party for the CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals and the YLG National Blog Editor.

Jake is a freelance reading development and children’s book consultant. He reviews for numerous publications, has judged the Carnegie, Greenaway, Blue Peter and Diverse Voices awards and is a passionate advocate and commentator on children’s literature and reading.
Jake is a keen champion of illustration and visual literacy and has written a book which explores its impact on children’s reading and learning, ‘Seeing Sense,’ published by Facet Publishing.

Amanda Childs – Chair

Amanda is a librarian in a Trafford High School but also has the joy of working with the public as her school took over the running of the community library in June 2015. At the age of 7 she wanted to become a librarian and used to have her own library in her bedroom for her friends! A passionate reader of the Carnegie nominated books every year, Amanda also loves getting recommendations from her students and they have great delight in choosing books they know will make her cry.

Lizzie Ryder – National YLG Committee Representative

Lizzie is a school librarian in Bury, where reading copious amounts of YA fiction is happily part of the job description. That said, her heart truly belongs to the world of the picture book. She has previously judged the Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals and is an enthusiastic advocate of their shadowing schemes.

Emma Bateson 

Emma is a Collections Access Officer (Libraries & Learning) at Bolton Library & Museum Service. She works with children and young people of all ages – from babies to young volunteers – across the public library and museum and Schools Library Service. Emma loves the rich variety of her job and loathes the fact that there are only 24 hours in a day! Emma enjoys reading YA fiction and, with two young children, shared reading and picture books feature heavily at home too.

Lorna Thomson – Treasurer

Lorna is a librarian at Bury College. She started her life in libraries in Nottingham Central in 2005. She has predominantly worked as a children’s librarian in various libraries in and around London. She started working in FE libraries when she moved to Manchester where she has fortunately been able to continue to develop and promote fiction. Her reading habits drive her colleagues mad as she always reads books back to front.

Karen Poolton – Committee Member

Karen is a school librarian in Manchester and has been on the YLG North West Committee for over 10 years with previous responsibilities including Publicity and Chair. After qualifying in 1982, she has had a great time working in schools and public libraries. She loves the challenge and variety of working with young people – and being able to buy and read lots of books! Karen is thoroughly looking forward to being a Carnegie and Greenaway judge.

Alex Bamford – Committee Member

Profile coming soon!

Ros Harding – CKG Rep

Profile coming soon!

Kaye Tew – Committee Member

If you’d like to get involved then drop us an email at ylgnorthwest@gmail.com  We’d love to hear from you!