OPENING TUESDAY 30^TH APRIL 9.30-1.30PM & EVERY TUESDAY AFTER.

Exciting times ahead for Hampsthwaite! The Village Rooms will soon be opening after an extensive renovation and will be ready for community events and groups.

Something new for the Village Rooms will be the arrival of a new community library. This library will be a ‘library’ with a difference. There will be no stamping of books, no restriction on how many books you can borrow and, most importantly, no fines! During the library sessions, refreshments will be available so you can enjoy a book with a cup of tea and a slice of cake.

So, what is this new library and how does it work? The library has been primarily set up as a place to bring together the community and to provide books for those who can’t get to the library in Harrogate or those who want to be able to access books locally. Books provide entertainment, education and a feeling of well-being to people and it is important that everyone has access to books. The library will work on a book swop system with no restrictions or rules. Simply visit the Village Rooms on a library day and have a look at the wide range of books that we have. All our books have been kindly donated by villagers and I cannot express enough gratitude to those who have donated now and in the future. We have at present at least 2000 books covering all topics ranging from fiction to history to sport to cookery to autobiographies to travel to poetry and not forgetting children’s books.

You can read your chosen book while enjoying a coffee during opening hours or you can take your books home and read them at your leisure, returning them when you finish. Alternatively, if you really love your book then you can keep it. I do believe that books can bring us so much pleasure and can help improve our mental well-being, so if you find a book you really love then keep it at home so you can enjoy it again and again.

Other plans for the library include board games sessions. Do you like Scrabble or Chess but need a worthy opponent? Don’t worry, the library will soon be able to provide exciting games activities. Who knows, we may even get some tournaments organized. We also are planning Children’s Storytime sessions which I hope will be a big hit for our younger members of the village. We have an amazing range of children’s books for all ages that have been donated, so please pop down with your family to choose some books.

Libraries are a wonderful source of information and education but most importantly they provide a warm, cosy space for all members of the community, a place where you can come and connect with other people. The Hampsthwaite Library will be that safe and welcoming space where you can have a cup of tea, choose a book or two, maybe play a board game or a game of cards and enjoy the comfort of a chat with others. Our library has toilet facilities (disabled and baby changing) and easy, accessible access from the street. The kettle will always be on and I look forward to welcoming you.