Our Patrons
Meet Our Patrons
We are delighted to be supported by four wonderful patrons.
Patrick Benson
Patrick Benson won the Mother Goose Award for his illustration of William Mayne’s Hob Stories. He has illustrated more than 20 books, including the much loved Owl Babies by Martin Waddell and Mole and the Baby Bird by Marjorie Newman, a Christopher Award winner. In 1997 Patrick designed the baby owl logo for our Craigmillar Books for Babies project. He is a long-time supporter of our work and projects.
Kirstin Innes
Kirstin Innes, author of the novels Scabby Queen and Fishnet was asked to be a patron of Craigmillar Books for Babies when her oldest son (now 5) was a newborn. She said, “Reading together, sharing stories and rhymes is such an important bonding experience for carers and young children. I’m excited to get more involved with the [Craigmillar Literacy] Trust activities to help build that foundation into a lifelong love of books.”
Janis MacKay
Janis MacKay is an award winning author of several books including Magnus Fin and the Ocean Quest, which won the Kelpie’s Prize in 2009 and The Accidental Time Traveller which won the Scottish Children’s Book Award. Her book the Watchmaker’s Wife is set in Craigmillar. She is a storyteller and creative writing teacher and has guided many children in imaginative writing workshops to write their own stories. She is a long-time supporter of our work and was patron of Craigmillar Book Festival for several years.
Alan Bissett
Alan Bissett is an award-winning novelist, playwright and performer. His many works include the theatre show Moira Monologues, novels Death of a Ladies’ Man and Pack Men and the children’s play Pinnochio. Alan was awarded the Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland Writer of the Year in 2011. Alan works across Scotland promoting literacy in primary and secondary schools and has been a supporter of our work for over 5 years.