26/08/2026
📚❤️ A wonderful legacy that goes far beyond the music.
As we prepare to open a community bookshop in an area where access to books really matters, we wanted to remember one particularly special part of Dolly Parton’s extraordinary life: Dolly Parton's Imagination Library.
Dolly founded the scheme in 1995, inspired by her father, who was unable to read or write. What began with free books for young children in her home county in Tennessee grew into an international programme spanning five countries, including the UK.
Children enrolled in the scheme receive their very own book through the post every month, completely free, from birth until the age of five, regardless of their family’s income. By the end of 2025, the Imagination Library had gifted more than 300 million books to children around the world.
For somebody who gave the world so many wonderful songs, helping millions of children discover the magic of books and develop a lifelong love of reading must surely rank among Dolly Parton’s greatest legacies.
When we open The Oval Bookshop, we hope to take a little inspiration from Dolly’s example. At the heart of our philosophy will be the belief that books and reading should be accessible to everyone, and that a community bookshop can play its own small part in improving literacy and access to books in an area such as Cliftonville West.
Thank you, Dolly, for showing just how powerful a book can be. 📖✨❤️
We are very sad to hear of the passing of the incomparable Dolly Parton at the age of 80.
For someone who deliberately presented herself to the world in such a wonderfully larger-than-life way, perhaps Dolly’s most admirable quality was just how completely authentic she always seemed to be. Behind the rhinestones, big hair and brilliant sense of humour was an extraordinarily kind, generous and compassionate woman who never forgot where she came from.
Her philanthropy was remarkable. Through initiatives such as the Imagination Library, she put millions of books into the hands of children, while quietly giving enormous support to education, healthcare, disaster relief and countless other causes throughout her life.
And then, of course, there is the music. ❤️🎶
Dolly leaves behind an extraordinary catalogue of songs that have become part of the fabric of country music and popular culture. But perhaps the greatest testament to her talent is that her influence didn't end with her own generation. You can hear and see it in artists who followed her, from her goddaughter Miley Cyrus to a new generation of performers such as Sabrina Carpenter, who collaborated with Dolly only last year.
As a Country Music Festival, we simply couldn't let today pass without remembering a woman who did so much to take country music around the world, while always remaining unmistakably, unapologetically herself.
A phenomenal songwriter. A trailblazer. A philanthropist. A true original.
Thank you for the music, Dolly. 🌸🤠🎶
1946 – 2026 🤍
