Last Monday saw the re-opening of our much loved library in our town centre. Only a couple of years ago, this community asset was forced with a simple, binary choice; to either close or relocate to a room at the Shape Mendip offices. A vociferous campaign was launched by many in the community to explore additional options and by creative working with Somerset County Council (who provide local library services), the building landlord, local benefactors and the Town Council, the funds were raised and a new governance model created to enable not only the library to stay in it’s current location, but for it to be refurbished and it’s opening hours extended.
This is a fantastic example of the Shepton Mallet community ‘thinking outside the box’ which has resulted in an improved library. This will also attract more people to our town centre. Please go and pay the library a visit and see how it has improved!
This Saturday sees the first of our events for the ‘Summer in Shepton’ programme. We are hosting outside cinema screenings of Pixar’s ‘Up’ and the classic ‘Wizard of Oz’ in the grounds of St. Pauls School. Both events are completely free but prebooking is essential so we can manage numbers. Go to the Shepton Mallet Town Council website or Facebook pages for more details. See you at the big screen!
Until next time.
Matt Harrison, Chairperson
