The Place of Endless Lights by Katy Hollamby
A Story for Anxious Times
Author and illustrator, Katy Hollamby is offering something quietly transformative in her ministry where God has placed her in Hattersley, Chester Diocese. A vicar’s wife, a mother, and a creative shaped by her own experience of illness and anxiety, Kate has poured her story, faith, and imagination into her debut children’s book, The Place of Endless Lights, that speaks profoundly into the growing mental‑health needs of children today.
Across England, children’s anxiety levels have risen sharply. More than 204,000 children were referred to NHS mental health services for anxiety in 2023–24 more than double the rate before the pandemic, amounting to more than 500 children every day. Meanwhile, one in five children and young people aged 8–25 now has a probable mental disorder. In areas such as Tameside, where Hattersley is located, young people face significant pressures, from deprivation to educational and social challenges, placing additional strain on their mental and emotional wellbeing. It is into this reality that Katy’s book speaks with clarity, imagination, and hope.
The Place of Endless Lights follows two children, Aria and Danny, who find themselves pursued by shadowy creatures feeding on their anxiety. When the mysterious Trail Maker appears, they are invited to take a different path: one that requires courage, honesty, and trust.
Katy says the book began with a question she was asking in her own life: “How does Jesus help us with our anxiety?”
This question shapes the heart of the story as Aria faces her fears rather than fleeing from them, discovering that light can be found even in the places that feel most overwhelming.
Katy explains: “I wanted a way to show children that Jesus meets us in the very places we’d rather run away from.”
The themes of light and darkness are not theoretical for Katy. During a long period of chronic fatigue, she experienced intense emotional sensitivity and what she describes as “a very dark place.” Yet even there, she sensed God’s nearness:
“I felt Jesus promise me that no matter how dark it got, there would always be lights to find.” This practice became part of family life. Katy and her daughter still ask one another: “Did you find any endless lights today?”
Painting became part of Katy’s own healing, one of the few activities she could manage as she navigated illness. As a result, the book’s illustrations grew up alongside the story, capturing landscapes inspired by places she has loved or imagined. Young readers can use the map at the front of the book to trace Aria and Danny’s journey through these magical spaces.
Katy’s hope is that her book becomes a tool for compassion and conversation:
Families can read together, using the story to open up gentle conversations about big feelings.
Parents can access a set of Explorer Questions to go deeper.
Schools and churches can purchase a Schools Pack, which includes multiple books, video lessons, and creative activities designed to help children talk honestly about anxiety and hope.
For Katy, writing the book has been an ongoing process of spiritual formation: “Jesus meets me in the places I’d rather avoid. The book reminds me of that.”
Even though she continues to navigate chronic fatigue and moments of anxiety, she has learned to see these experiences as places where God draws close rather than withdraws.
The Place of Endless Light is available from:
BroadPlace Publishing – the most affordable source, and the only place where buyers can donate a copy to a local child.
Audible, where Katy narrates the full adventure
Katy’s desire is that donated books will bless children on the Hattersley estate first, and then many more beyond.
Video: Abby Cooper, Family, Children and Youth Adviser interviews Katy Hollamby about The Place of Endless Light.
24 February 2026