Gainsborough Community Library in Ipswich has recently expanded by officially opening its new ‘garden room’.
The garden room is an extension to the library and has created a new flexible space for community groups and customers using the library to use. The new room has been built in the library’s garden but with the addition of new plants so this part of the library still feels green and colourful.
Mandy Grimwood, library manager said:
“We are very excited to be opening this new extension and library space which will benefit the whole community and provide somewhere for people to enjoy wellbeing, learn new skills and to socialise. We have so much going on at Gainsborough Community Library and we can now offer even more to local people. We’re so grateful to everyone who helped us raise the money for this project and the wonderful volunteers who cleared the area in preparation for the garden room to be installed.”
An amazing £45,000 was raised to create the extension thanks to fundraising and donations from the library’s friends’ group ‘Voices 4 Gainsborough Community Library’, Ipswich East Rotary Club, St Lawrence Parish Hall Trust and locality funding from local Suffolk County Councillors Liz Harsant, Lucy Smith and Paul West.
The opening of the new space comes as the library has also been successful in a bid for £2,500 from the Arnold Clark Community Fund. This extra money will enable the library to provide more free items to local people including hot drinks, snacks, toiletries and period products as part of Suffolk Libraries’ Warm Welcome cost of living campaign.
