Rotherham Remembers Dolly Parton’s 2007 Visit for Book Charity Launch

Following the death of American entertainer Dolly Parton, residents in the South Yorkshire town of Rotherham have been recalling her 2007 visit to launch the United Kingdom branch of her children’s book charity, the Imagination Library. Parton, known for her music career and philanthropic efforts, selected the former steelworking and mining town after accepting an invitation to extend her childhood reading scheme beyond North America.

During her visit in December 2007, Parton visited Rotherham Hospital and presented the program’s first UK book to one-day-old Emma Jarman. The musician autographed a copy of The Tale of Peter Rabbit for the four-pound, six-ounce infant. Recalling the encounter, the child’s father, Shane Jarman, admitted he felt nervous as the country star held the newborn “with my little girl’s head in her hand,” noting Parton’s prominent red nails.

The Imagination Library was designed to post a free, age-appropriate book directly to registered children every month from birth until age five. The Rotherham project operated through shared funding from Parton’s foundation, the local municipal council, and regional donors. Deborah Bullivant, who later led the local literacy drive, acknowledged that some residents were initially suspicious of the scheme. However, she noted that Parton’s personal involvement helped ease doubts and fostered a stronger culture of reading within local households.

Parton defended her decision to launch the scheme in the town despite comments from critics, later stating that she “totally related to Rotherham” because of its industrial character and her own working-class upbringing in rural Tennessee. While addressing local officials gathered at a former steelworks site, she adapted her American accent to match regional Yorkshire pronunciations. She also described the town as a “heart spot” in subsequent interviews.

Although the Rotherham council ended its financial support in 2015, forcing the local scheme to close, the charity expanded to other British locations, including Doncaster, North Lincolnshire, Nottingham, and the London borough of Southwark. Since the 2007 launch, the scheme has delivered 6.3 million books across the UK and 300 million globally. Emma Jarman, now 18, plans to take her autographed book with her when she begins studying biomedical science at university.

Background

Dolly Parton founded the Imagination Library in 1995 in Sevier County, Tennessee. The charity was created to address low literacy rates in her home county by mailing free books directly to preschool children regardless of family income. The success of the initiative led to its expansion across the United States, Canada, Australia, the Republic of Ireland, and the United Kingdom, operating through partnerships between Parton’s foundation, local governments, and community organizations.