Friends of Honley Library launch £300,000 expansion fundraising drive to put community at its heart

Honley Library it’s much more than books – and volunteers are now embarking on a major fundraising drive to raise £300,000 for an extension.

The libraryrun by Friends of Honley Libraryit is already a community center, but it has the potential to do much more.

From a Knit and Natter group to Babies into Books, a digital cafe to puzzles, Honley Library it is a meeting place for young and old alike.

And now the Friends group wants to expand the facilities so they can be more inclusive and bring more people through the doors.

Administrator Jenny Lockwood said: “Honley Library is a vibrant community space and the Friends group is enthusiastic and determined that library it will continue to be a focal point and center for the village.

“In 2023 we received more than 16,000 visitors and organized more than 230 events, but to continue our work we urgently need more space.”

To this end, his Friends Honley Library have now drawn up plans for a £300,000 extension which will improve the community area, create more offices and workspaces, provide a new kitchen and storage space and most importantly provide new accessible toilets and facilities baby changing.

Honley Library. Image by: Sean Doyle

The plans were drawn up free of charge by Huddersfield architects AHR and the planning process was paid for with a £9,000 grant from the Government’s Community Property Fund.

It is hoped that an application to the Community Property Fund for up to £250,000 will be successful, but as part of the award the friends must find 20% themselves.

Friends have launched a JustGiving page with a target of £100,000 and only £40,000 has already been raised.

Jenny said: “The local support we’ve had has been amazing and we can’t thank people enough.”

A video about his work library was provided free of charge and 4,000 leaflets were distributed to the local community – produced and at no cost.

Various fundraising initiatives are planned, notably an afternoon with Almondbury bestselling author Joanne Harris on August 1, which sold out almost immediately.

Poet Laureate Simon Armitage, who lives in Honleydonated two special bottles of Sherry Poet Laureate that will be drawn at various events.

“If this building is going to survive, we need this expansion,” Jenny said. “We only have one tiny toilet which is right next to the kitchen area and is not fully accessible.

“We have a Babies into Books group with 20 moms and babies, but they have nowhere to change diapers!”

Images: AHR

The Friends of Honley Library and Holme Valley Parish Council saved it library in 2015. A transfer of assets was finally completed in 2021 and the building is now owned by the parish council and leased by the Friends who pay all running costs.

The library opens on Tuesdays (13:00-18:00); Wednesday 10-13; Friday 13-17; and Saturday 10:00-13:00.

Has Kirklees Council 15 hours a week library assistant and a team of 30 dedicated volunteers.

In February this year, Kirklees Council announced a major overhaul of its libraries in a bid to save money.

The council said it plans to hand over the management of eight smaller libraries, including Honleyto the local community.

These would become “community managed libraries” and would no longer have board staff. The other libraries allocated were Meltham, Kirkheaton, Marsden, Skelmanthorpe, Denby Dale, Shepley and Mirfield.

This proved a shock to the Friends group, who felt that putting all the responsibility on the volunteers’ shoulders might stretch the volunteers’ goodwill too far.

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There have been two consultation meetings with the council and Jenny believes the council intends to continue.

“The board feels we have so much success that we can lead library with volunteers, but there’s a problem with that,” Jenny said. “We have a brilliant relationship with library staff and have always had great support from them.

“You have 15 hours of support from a library assistant means we always have a responsible person present and we have a monthly rotation where volunteers fill in where and when they are available and this is very successful.

“Not having one core person means we would have to find a volunteer or volunteers to give up their time on a regular basis, which could prove more difficult.

“We already have a lead volunteer on a Wednesday, but we should extend that to the other three days.

“My feeling is that Kirklees have already made the decision because they have to make savings.”

Jenny said she did not expect to hear more about the council’s plans until October, but said it would mean more volunteers would need to be trained.

She was also concerned about the access board’s IT system library registrations, book ordering and the like, which she described as “very complicated” to operate.

“Our fear is that if this is the first step, what comes next? Will we still have access to new books?”

The friends’ organisation, resilience and determination means they will overcome any obstacle Kirklees throws their way, so for now the focus is on fundraising.

The planning application is ongoing and funding applications are being made to various bodies. There are two teams on the expansion task force, which Jenny described as “a wonderful set of people.”

To watch the video that shows why library it is so important click HERE or go to Friends of Honley Library website HERE or search for Friends of Honley Library on facebook.

To donate to the extension fund go to the JustGiving page HERE.

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