Dolly Parton’s Rotherham visit began with a newborn and a book

When Shane Jarman was decorating a Christmas tree at the school where he worked in December 2007, he received an urgent call telling him to get to Rotherham hospital. His wife, Claire, had given birth to their first child, Emma, the day before, and the family was about to receive an unexpected visitor. At the hospital, Jarman learned that they were going to meet Dolly Parton. Within minutes, he recalled, cameras and noise filled the room before the country singer arrived and took newborn Emma in her arms. The baby weighed 4lb 6oz. Jarman said the detail he remembered most clearly was Parton’s large red nails—and admitted he had been nervous about them. Parton was in Rotherham to launch the British version of her Imagination Library, a book-gifting programme she had started in Tennessee. Under the local scheme, children received a free book addressed to them every month from birth until they turned five. The programme was funded by Parton’s foundation alongside Rotherham council and other local contributors. The launch took place at a disused steelworks and included local dignitaries and children. Parton practiced saying “Rotherham” in a Yorkshire style, and later described the town as a place she felt connected to because of its industrial character and her own outsider upbringing. Deborah Bullivant, who later led Rotherham Imagination Library as part of a broader literacy campaign, said the scheme initially attracted suspicion because of its association with a celebrity. But, she said, receiving a personalised book each month helped some families develop stronger reading habits and made books part of everyday home life. Rotherham’s programme ended in 2015 after the council withdrew its support. The idea continued elsewhere in the UK, including Doncaster, North Lincolnshire, Southwark and Nottingham. Emma Jarman, now 18, was the first baby in Rotherham to receive a book through the scheme: a copy of *The Tale of Peter Rabbit*, signed by Parton. Her father expects she will take it with her when she leaves for university to study biomedical science. According to the report, the programme has distributed 6.3 million books across the four UK nations, while the global total has reached 300 million.