Newsroom

14 December 2023

Blackpool libraries to promote volunteering and social connection with £88,000 grant

Blackpool Council’s library service is embarking on a new programme to tackle loneliness and social isolation.

Lady sits down with a hot drink smiling at the camera at a library event.

Blackpool Council’s library service is embarking on a new programme to tackle loneliness and social isolation.

£88,000 of funding has come from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), distributed by Arts Council England in partnership with national charity Libraries Connected.

The grant comes from the Know Your Neighbourhood fund, a package of up to £30million designed to widen participation in volunteering and tackle loneliness in 27 disadvantaged areas across England.

In England 6% of people (approximately 3 million) experience chronic loneliness, reportingly feeling lonely often or always*.

Blackpool’s libraries will use the funding to develop a comprehensive offer for adults at risk of chronic loneliness and help boost volunteering, primarily at Central Library, Revoe Library, Library@TheGrange and Langdale Library and Laundry Room.

Community outreach will also take place to engage those residents at risk of chronic loneliness, giving insight into how the library service may be able to help.

Cllr Jo Farrell, Blackpool Council Cabinet Member for Levelling Up – People, said:

“The work already undertaken by our library service to better connect communities and tackle social isolation is much-needed and wonderful to see. Libraries are key to our communities and are a lifeline for many. We are very excited to see the impact that this project will have on lives of Blackpool residents. As well as delivering core services, Blackpool’s Libraries forward-thinking team continues to grow an ambitious programme for our residents, filled with commitment, creativity and value.”

A programme of innovative and new engagement activities to sit alongside more traditional library activities will be developed, experimenting with the concept of ‘play’ for adults. Some of these potential activities include Lego, creative virtual and augmented reality experiences, story time for adults and expressive arts.

Working with the council’s adult learning team, Blackpool Learning Rooms, a series wellbeing orientated learning opportunities will be rolled out across libraries, with potential signposting to more formal learning opportunities, for example maths, English and ICT courses to take place where fitting.

The funding will also help to promote the At Home Library Service, providing opportunities for service clients to meet each other and connect.

Volunteering opportunities will be increased across the library service and local people experiencing barriers to volunteering and community participation will receive extra support to help boost their skills and confidence.

In June 2020 Blackpool’s Library Service published their Libraries Ambition Plan. Part of the plan laid out the services’ aim to keep libraries at the centre of Blackpool’s communities and to keep reflecting those communities.

The libraries already host a number of projects designed to boost community engagement. These include:

  • Banter, Brew and Biscuits - a monthly social group at Central Library,
  • Generation Friends- local school children meeting with older people at Anchorsholme Library
  • Wool and Words - a weekly knitting and social group at Palatine Library
  • LGBTQ+ book group at Central Library and more

Last year, Langdale Library and Laundry Room officially opened as a collaboration between Blackpool Council, Blackpool Coastal Housing and Blackpool based arts company LeftCoast. The project saw the creation of a library, laundry room, and artist workshops, encouraging community participation in the Mereside ward. This bespoke and unique community space now hosts a wide range of community sessions and was even nominated for the RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) Journal’s MacEwen Award.

Isobel Hunter MBE, Chief Executive, Libraries Connected said:

“Libraries Connected is thrilled to be a partner of the Know Your Neighbourhood Fund, supporting the library services that have received funding in the 27 target areas. Public libraries are at the heart of their communities and are uniquely placed to help local people participate in volunteering and connect with others. This important initiative will not only see exciting community projects in libraries across the country, it will also build a vital evidence base for scalable and sustainable interventions in the future.”

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