HS2 funding enables community facility to survive.
Castle Vale library has been saved from closure after Alan Crawford, Head of Neighbourhood Fundraising at The Pioneer Group, and his team managed to secure £75,000 funding from The HS2 Community and Environment Fund to provide more support for families via the Hub of Life project.
Alan Crawford, Head of Neighbourhood Fundraising at The Pioneer Group said: “We knew how precious community facilities such as the library are to the residents of Castle Vale and it would have been a devastating loss had we not secured the HS2 funding. This was a high-pressure situation and we are thrilled that the community will continue to benefit from this space.”
The aim of the Hub of Life project is to support the Castle Vale Community Library to become a sustainable facility for the community. The funding will ensure the library remains open for the next three years and becomes self-sustaining for at least the next ten years.
Situated on the High Street, the library will continue to provide traditional services, while the funding will also be used to transform the building into a thriving community arts facility. By opening the building out for wider use, the team are hoping this will safeguard the facilities future for the next generation.
While the building is currently closed in line with the Governments’ response to COVID-19, the upcoming additions promise something for everyone once measures start to relax and the facility can reopen.
Plans to reinvigorate the library include:
– Community cinema
– Drama group
– Storytelling group
– Radio production group
– and a comic book club
The activities delivered through this project aim to invite families from diverse backgrounds to promote a more inclusive support network. The projects also include specialist activities for children with additional needs, activities to support families and arts and creativity activities.
Ray Goodwin, CEO of Spitfire Services, said: “We are overwhelmed that such an important part of Castle Vale will be able to remain open for a number of years to come. Libraries are important cornerstones of a healthy community and we are excited that it can remain a space for residents to experience new ideas, get lost in wonderful stories, while at the same time providing a sense of place for gathering.”
Julie King, Director of Community and Stakeholder Engagement, for HS2 Ltd commented: “I’m delighted that the Castle Vale Library can now remain open and deliver a wide range of projects to families throughout the neighbourhood. The HS2 Community and Environment Fund is available to support local communities that are demonstrably disrupted by the construction of HS2 and I encourage other organisations near to the line of route to apply and benefit from funding.”
To find out more about how the HS2’s Community and Environment fund is benefitting communities along the route, you can visit their website.