£12,000 cash boost for Old Town's library

The library, on the corner of Victoria Drive and Central Avenue, is in desperate need of updating so the panel offered £12,000 to help, while Mears agreed to donate labour costs and some materials for free.

This means the interior can undergo a complete refurbishment and is now set to become a community hub.

Around 1,000 libraries are thought to have closed in recent years and existing ones are having to adapt and find a new lease of life to survive.

Jerry Daly is a member of the Old Town Area Panel and he also offered to design the new interior.

He said, “We’ve been looking at things we can do to keep the library alive and I was pleased to be able to design the new interior to bring it up to date. The library is set to become a focal point in the Old Town community and I’m excited to see the completed job.”

A whole range of new activities are now being planned for Old Town Library, including Neighbourhood First pop-ups, Credit Union advice sessions, health checks, IT classes and arts and crafts for children.

Details of the re-fit are still being finalised and the work will take place later in the year.

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