Matt with the team of volunteers running the new Kirton library
MP for Boston & Skegness Matt Warman visited the new library hub in Kirton on Friday 8th January to meet with library volunteers and view the centre’s expansion plans.
After Lincolnshire County Council announced plans in 2013 to reform library services, there were fears that the library service in Kirton would be discontinued. But following 2014 local parish council discussions, an agreement was made to relocate the library from its original location on Station Road to a new site it shares with the New Life Fellowship Church.
The new energy efficient ‘brick’ Matt is holding in the photo, and its companions, are available for sponsorship at £20 each – GoFundMe.com/NLCommunityChurch.
Meeting with New Life Fellowship’s pastor, Neil Mugglestone, Matt was shown architectural plans to expand the adjoining New Life Fellowship Church. If planning permission is granted and enough funding is raised, the building will quadruple in size. This will create both more space for the Church’s Sunday services, and also for the construction of purpose built library, bring enough shelf space for the 4,000 books that the library presently has to store in Lincoln. Limited shelf space means that the library can only display 2,000 books at the moment.
Also on the horizon are plans to include a coffee shop offering wifi access, with an aim to develop a social hub for Kirton’s local residents.
After the visit, Matt commented, “I was delighted to visit the library and it is encouraging to see the ongoing development of the community centre here in Kirton. Naturally, people use libraries to borrow books and use online resources, but they can also provide a valuable space for people and local groups to meet. The centre will provide a real boost to the community in Kirton, and I am really looking forward to seeing how the plans for development come to fruition.”