Richmond Library Open Day – A Library Makeover!

Richmond Library will be holding an Open Day on Monday 29th May between 10am - 2pm, where local residents are invited to come along and take a look around the transformed and refurbished community resource.

The library, which has been closed for the past month while much needed renovation work was undertaken, will see improvements to the reception area, children’s section and Tourist Information Centre, as well as new research and study facilities and a relaxed seating area where visitors can enjoy a good book over a cup of coffee. New book collections have also been purchased.

Richmond library, which is now managed by Catterick Richmond and Colburn Community Libraries (CRACCL) in partnership with North Yorkshire County Council, is also looking for volunteers to help support its work.

Philip Wicks, CRACCL Chair, said:

“People will be really amazed at the changes – they have transformed the space and we now have a library fit for the 21st century. The refurbishment has been funded by the County Council, and both volunteers and staff have been very busy behind the scenes.

“We have an excellent team of volunteers, who help us to deliver services like children’s activities and computer support. However, we want to provide the best possible service to local residents and we are always ready to welcome new volunteers willing to come forward and give some of their time to keep these important and highly valued services going.

“We immensely value the contribution of volunteers, so if you love books, enjoy meeting people and want to make friends while learning new skills then we’d love to hear from you.”

The opening of these community libraries would not be possible without the dedicated contribution of local people giving their time and all volunteers will be provided with full training by staff.

Volunteers are being sought to support all three library sites across Catterick, Richmond and Colburn and anyone interested can find out more information from the CRACCL website at www.craccl.org

Julie Blaisdale, Assistant Director Library and Community Services said, “Volunteers and communities are adding tremendous value to the services libraries offer and in recognition of this; the County Council is investing nearly £60,000 on the refurbishment of Richmond Library and a further £8,800 on new bookstock. This is part of the Council’s one-off investment of £350,000 countywide to give the newly configured library service a boost.”

The Spring Bank Holiday Open Day, which coincides with Richmond Meet, will be held at Richmond Library on Queen's Road and will also provide an opportunity to find about the various volunteering roles available and will offer an opportunity to talk to existing volunteers about the contribution they make. There will also be children’s activities in the new children’s library.