THE campaign to save Tottington Library began more than 12 months ago.

A committee was formed and met weekly to fight the closure.

We were thankful that the council eventually understood the need for the much-loved building to remain open and allow volunteers to operate it.

It’s been a very challenging year but we made it and the newly named Tottington Centre is now open.

Residents have shown fantastic support — we could not have done this without you, we have almost 60 volunteers pledged to give up their time each week to make this a success.

We are accepting donations of books so that avid book readers will have lots of new books to choose from with new stock on the shelves each week.

Rooms are available for hourly hire for groups or daily hire for conferences / training sessions.

Many community groups are already meeting, please call in for details.

Subject to a funding application, we hope to open a cafe, The Tottington Tea Rooms, in the not too distant future and early expressions of interest to operate it are welcome.

We have many fundraising events planned for this year and hope to hold a village fete in summer and a three-day craft fair at Christmas.

We shall have a books on wheels service and will deliver books to the housebound and to local care homes on request.

We have to inform the council of numbers visiting for books, so please visit often!

More than 90 people visited the centre on its first day. Membership is £2.50.

We aim to cater for all ages, story time for under fives began this week and we will soon be holding a Grandads Gathering session.

We aim to give the community a welcoming place to visit buzzing with activity.

We are active on social media and our website is soon to be live.

Please call in the centre for tickets for our fundraising quiz on March 16.

Taking on a Grade II listed building and being responsible for all the ongoing repairs is no easy task which is estimated at more than 100,000 over the next five years, plus we need to raise £22,000 annually for day-to-day expenditure.

Are we daunted? No we northerners and are enthused and heartened by the terrific support we have received which has spurred us on.

You helped save the library, now again with your support,

I am sure we are to make it a terrific success.

I am extremely proud of what has been achieved.

My thanks once more to the many who have made this possible.

Cllr Yvonne Wright

Committee Member