Fundraising success

Over a year ago now, we held a fundraising gig to raise money to support Arbury Library. The evening, which featured local bands Sugarbeat and Swamp Truck, was a great success, and we raised over £700. It's been some time in the organising, but we're now able to tell you how that money has helped the library.

When we first set about organising the benefit, there was an unclear future for the popular Storytime sessions, which regularly run in the library for two to five-year-olds. We initially planned to use the cash to keep Storytime running, but we're delighted to say that funding has continued for this service, meaning we were able to spend the cash elsewhere. However, because we originally put the gig together to support this service for children, we thought it was important that the bulk of the money went to support the children's area of the library.

Over the last few months, we've been able to purchase:

• three sets of books for the Read it Again! programme
• several new poufs for the children's section to replace some of those that were worn out
• a large 'dragon' rug for the children's section
• noticeboards for the library entrance, so staff can display notices outside of opening hours

There's a little left in the kitty to help support the library in future, and we may well be looking to top this up with other events further down the line. We'll use this space to tell you about these as and when they happen.

If you're a regular visitor to the library, and especially if you have children, you may well have spotted some of these new additions. We wouldn't have been able to fund these items without those of you who helped us raise the money in the first place, including everyone who turned up to the gig and of course the bands who gave up their time to help make the night a success. Thank you!