Community / library

Saving the Old Library

By Debbora Hall  Friday Mar 16, 2018

By Debbora Hall

Two years ago we heard that Eastville Library had been selected as the only library to close in Bristol. I’m one of the volunteers who transformed it into The Old Library – 100% volunteer run and a testament to what positive action can achieve.

Originally, three of us proposed to the Council that the building should be sustainably run by the community that uses it. My co-founders Emily and David presented to a panel and argued they should give us the building because it was the morally right thing to do. They agreed – this was our only community space for a mile around.

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Then, the hard work began. We had six weeks to write a business plan and a three year financial forecast, and then form a recognised company. This was a mammoth task and was our first glimpse of the passion and strength of our community. Neighbours who were risk assessors, policy makers, community workers, marketers and writers all came forward to offer their time and the benefit of their experience to help us form the best case possible. What started as a group of three concerned residents quickly grew to a neighbourhood team of 20, 30, 50…. We hadn’t known anyone, but the realisation struck of what an amazing place we lived in.

The second wave of community strength was shown as our next phase emerged – the transformation of an empty ex-Council building. We organised Make Days and unblocked drains, built café counters and decorated as donations of furniture and materials flooded in. Volunteers drove vans, upcycled furniture, sewed cushions and bunting and made vegetable beds in the, until-now, unused beautiful and huge garden. The beginnings of a diverse community space were set down.

We are on a full maintaining 10 year lease, and if we break any of the rules and regulations, the lease will be terminated. It has taken us nearly two years to negotiate this with the help of the University of the West of England (saving us a lot of money and worry), and has given me a real insight into the strain the Council is under – month by month, our contacts changed as Council workers fought for their jobs and lost them, restructures took place, and key team members were hugely overworked. The future is scary for council run buildings but if your community really wants it, you can have it.

And here we are. We’ve hosted fun days, yoga, drama, dancing, quizzes, film nights, music clubs, choirs, and children’s activities. Our open days provide a warm, safe space for anyone three days a week. We have new mums who need to see another adult face, people of no fixed abode who need somewhere to use a computer or wash their hands in warm water, people with no facilities printing job applications and homework and books being borrowed from our honesty library. This is the real purpose, the vital reason, for non-corporate community spaces, and we are proud to have saved one of them.

The UWE Pro Bono Unit in conjunction with The Old Library will be holding a free seminar on the practical side of Community Asset Transfer at the Old Library on 19th April. There are only 30 seminar spaces so book ahead!

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