Hello, I am a journalism student and below is an article I have written about a celebration event I attended of 10 years of volunteer-run libraries in Sheffield. If you would like to publish it onto your website and credit me I would be very grateful! There are additional images that could also be used within the article if necessary. There was also a video shown at the event which may be useful that I will also link. Thank you 🙂

Sheffield celebrates 10 years of volunteer-led libraries

Library volunteers from across Sheffield gathered together to celebrate and reflect on their work in the community over the past decade.

The event included a meal for the volunteers, some speeches and personal stories, and a short video that thanked them for supporting their communities.

Speeches were introduced by Steve Bodey, Chair of Trustees at Jordanthorpe Library, who said: “Someone came up to me last year and he said ‘You probably don’t know this but the simple fact that you kept the library open sent a huge message to this community. That we weren’t neglected, we weren’t forgotten, we were still valued.’ And I’ve never thought about it that way before, and it was just a passing conversation.”

In 2014, the 16 volunteer-run libraries were threatened with closure after the council cut £1.6 million from the budget.

Today they are being run independently, with five of them being co-delivered alongside Sheffield City Council.

Pippa Line, a volunteer at Park Library, said: “It very much feels like a web around here, which is what we want to be, because we’re acutely aware that in an area like this there are plenty of people who don’t have internet access, who aren’t computer comfortable, who might not have Wi-Fi at home.” 

“We know that we are that link that helps prevent complete social isolation for other people, that helps prevent people maybe drifting out of society a bit more. And I think even if we’re not used every single day by every single person, we’re still valuable in that way, and I’m grateful for being part of that.”

John Bowden, a trustee of The Friends of Ecclesfield Library organisation alongside his wife Victoria Bowden, said: “Looking around, we know several people from other libraries here. I mean, the work of our volunteers and volunteers everywhere is really invaluable because otherwise their libraries would have shut like other ones.”

The celebration event took place at Park Library Centre, on Duke Street, a co-delivered library run by Park Community Action (PCA).

PCA runs a local forum and community centre, and its objective is to improve the conditions of life for people in the area by providing various facilities, including a café and youth club.