Boldon and Cleadon Community Library set for a new extension following £77,000 in funding

Volunteers at the Boldon and Cleadon Community Library, on Boker Lane, are celebrating after they were awarded £77,000 of National Lottery funding to help provide a new extension at the library.

The extension will allow the library, which is a registered charity, to provide more space, host events to support the local community and help to fund ongoing library costs.

Boldon and Cleadon Community Library became a volunteer-led organisation in 2018 after it faced closure.

The volunteers worked with South Tyneside Council to set up a new charity to help support the ongoing provision to the service to the local community.

At the time of writing, more than 50 volunteers help to run the library, covering things such as opening hours and organising events for the community that it serves.

Some of these events include things like a monthly Memory Café, for people with Dementia and their carers, as well as a pre-school programme and visits from local schools.

It also provides weekly drop-in sessions so anyone can find a warm space, company and refreshments.

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Gail Barkel, Chair of the Trustees Boldon and Cleadon Community Library, has expressed her joy at the organisation now being able to press on with plans to build an extension.

She said: “We’re delighted that The National Lottery Community Fund has recognised our work in this way.

“Now, thanks to National Lottery players we will be able to press on with our plans to broaden our events programme and host more people at our events.”

The £77,000 of funding is coming from he National Lottery Community Fund, which distributes money raised by National Lottery players for good causes and is the largest community funder in the UK.

For more information about the Boldon and Cleadon Community Library, visit: https://thelibrary.uk.com/.

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