Library support group hands over £10,000 for new shelving

Library supporters have handed over a cheque for £10,000 which will pay for new shelving.

At the presentation were, from left, Margaret Quartly, Sheila Davies, Ben Warren from Friends of Church Stretton Library, Rawden Pascoe, Hayley Reynolds, and Gail Jones from Shropshire Library Services.

The Friends of Church Stretton Library presented Shropshire Council with a cheque for the money to pay for the units, which have been installed at the library.

The group is a charity which formed following a successful campaign to keep the library open in its current building.

The new shelving can be easily moved around to create a “flexible space”, allowing the library to cater more easily for larger audiences at its various events and activities.

Many different activities already take place at Church Stretton library, including Lego club, Rhyme Time, school visits, educational talks, reading and creative writing clubs, Citizens Advice sessions, a craft group and a monthly café for local people with memory problems and their carers.

The remaining funding for the shelving has been awarded to Shropshire Libraries from Arts Council England as part of Live Well With Your Library initiative, which aims to create versatile community spaces in libraries across Shropshire to boost the health and wellbeing of local residents.

Shropshire Council has also recently improved the energy efficiency of the library by converting to LED lighting and installing a new heating system.

Sheila Davies, chair of Friends of Church Stretton Library said: “We are delighted the new shelving has finally arrived as this has been an ambition of ours for some years.

"We are also very pleased to see Shropshire Council investing in libraries, including the library in Church Stretton, which provides such a vital service to the community.”

Community library manager Hayley Reynolds said: “On behalf of myself and the team, I would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to the friends group for all their support, including their fundraising activities, and to anyone who has donated or supported the group in any way.

"We are very excited about the new opportunities that moveable shelving will bring. The project has been a true community effort and we look forward to welcoming people into our new, revitalised library.”