Bradford Manningham Library reopens after ‘nature’ upgrade.

A city center library has reopened after a refurbishment designed to bring visitors ‘closer to nature’.

Bradford’s Manningham Library was one of six in the country to secure funding from Natural England for its Culture Nature project, which aimed to turn libraries into “thriving hubs for nature enthusiasts”.

Large graphics showing local green spaces and parks have been put up at the library, as well as details of how visitors can best access them.

Other improvements included a children’s sensory space, ceiling repairs and meeting equipment, Bradford Council’s library service said.

Funding from Natural England has also helped to provide new shelving and install a small meeting room on site, as well as a large digital screen and new equipment for the large meeting room.

Meanwhile, the new sensory space was meant to help visitors with delayed motor skills, autism and other support needs, the library service said.

The space featured tactile wall panels, soft seating areas and a giant wall caterpillar to encourage tactile, visual and auditory stimulation, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

New shelves shaped like daisies and leaves would complement the nature theme, the library service said.

Christine May, head of libraries and archives at Bradford Council, said: “Manningham Library is a much-loved and well-used community facility and it’s great to see it refreshed and having even more potential for community use, both in outside of it. of the library’s operating schedule.”

As well as Natural England funding, Manningham Library is one of 10 libraries in the Bradford district to receive public funding from Arts Council England under its Library Improvement Fund.