Features / eastville
Old Library achieves £50,000 fundraising milestone
The past few years have been a turbulent time for non-profit organisations across Bristol.
With rising costs, declining volunteer pools and reduced income, our local community spaces and volunteer organisations who typically rely upon fundraising, grants and goodwill are having to do far more with much less, while continuing to sweep up the facilities and services reduced or closed due to the longer term impact of cuts on public services.
However, for one community project in Eastville, there is encouraging news on the horizon. The Old Library has successfully hit its £50,000 fundraising milestone to carry out a building project that will provide much-needed accessibility improvements to the volunteer-run community building.
is needed now More than ever
The Old Library is a volunteer-run community space which hosts a cafe, runs community events and offers private hire – photo: Emily Shimell
Alison Beddoes, a local resident and director at the building on Muller Road, says the team are thrilled to have reached the target which will provide “a suitable amenity and dignity for our disabled community members”.
Beddoes says that a new disabled toilet facility and accessible fire exit will mean that each visitor to the site, regardless of physical ability, can enjoy The Old Library and its programme of activities and events.
The initial part of the build was completed last year, which included demolition of the present building, foundations and drainage and a water tight structure with new flat roof, but due to rising construction costs, there was not enough money to complete the project.
Funds were raised from a crowdfunding campaign in 2023, donations from Vistri Homes and Mencap, fundraising events, and a successful £30,000 grant from the CIL/Section 106 fund, with essential works due to be completed by October.
The project will consist of a new roof over the area that joins the bathroom and kitchen, a new changing facility for young children, and a new fire exit that will allow all community members to safely leave the building in case of an emergency.
The Old Library was transformed in 2016 after the former public Eastville library was closed due to council cuts – photo: Emily Shimell.
Beddoes says that The Old Library continually strives to create a more supportive, inclusive atmosphere, and the fundraising is now making that even more possible.
“Improving our disabled toilet will help us become more accessible for people of all abilities and especially for families with young children and disabled users, thus allowing us to increase our offering for activities,” she says.
“This will positively impact new families moving into the area, reduce carbon footprint from travel and offer an array of volunteering opportunities.”
Beddoes adds: “I just want to say a huge thank you to the experience and hard work of director Sue Ballard, who has focused so much energy to get us to this point in the build project, and equally all who have gone above and beyond to work on grant applications, fundraising and to keep the Old Library going throughout all the challenges we have faced in these past few years.”
The community centre on Muller Road is a fully volunteer-run space which was transformed by local residents in 2016 when the former Eastville Library was closed due to council funding cuts.
The space is open to the public with a community cafe on Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays from 9.30am to 3pm, and hosts a range of community events monthly including a disability choir, urban food growing workshops, quiz, games and film nights, a book club and a forest school.
The Old Library can also be hired for private events and birthdays during the week and weekends. For more information about the project and to find out what goes on, visit www.theoldlibrary.org.uk.
Main photo: Emily Shimell
Emily Shimell is reporting as part of Bristol24/7’s community reporter scheme, a project which aims to tell stories from areas of Bristol traditionally under-served by the mainstream media
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