After a £4.43m renovation, Bolton Central Library is celebrating re-opening in style with a free family fun day.
With the grand opening on Friday 19 January where people can visit and enjoy a quieter atmosphere, the family event on Saturday 20 January will be a much more lively affair.
Open from 11am until 3pm, the whole venue will be crammed with lots of fun activities for all the family.
Visitors can find:
- Lofty the Lion – visiting with BWFC in the Community
- Compact Disco organised by Things That Go On Things
- Octagon story telling sessions
- Awkward Tree Youth Theatre performances
- Drop-in printing workshops
- Bolton Family History Group – find out more about your family
- History Explorers – sessions for children to find out more about the history of Bolton
- Computer Explorers – AI drop-in sessions
The grand re-opening comes after being closed for over a year whilst a multi-million-pound renovation, funded by the governments Towns Fund, has been taking place.
Guests will this weekend be able to immerse themselves in the expanded children’s area, improved social spaces, updated digital facilities and the brand-new Café Crescent.
The new space has been designed to reflect the changing way in which communities use their local libraires, with an added emphasis on reading, creativity and digital inclusion.
The design of the new look library focuses on the priorities of the customers’ needs including:
- Digital facilities
- Education and employment information
- Cultural and creative activities
- Health and wellbeing
- Signposting to other organisations
The new mezzanine floor provides a welcoming space for a variety of local community and wellbeing groups and for other groups who visit and wish to use the building.
A new children and young people’s library space has been created and split into three areas for young people of different ages.
The council has worked with students, from the University of Bolton’s special effects department, who have created some special models for the new children’s library – from Paddington Bear to The Hungry Caterpillar.
Small businesses are also being supported in the Build A Business area that will deliver workshops, events and one to one advice sessions to help support new businesses and entrepreneurs.
Bolton Council’s Executive Cabinet Member for Culture, Cllr Nadeem Ayub, said:
“I’m delighted that we are now ready to open the fantastic renovated central library, after over 12 months of planning and lots of hard work.
“It’s really important that we support local people and provide accessible services for all, increasing opportunities and helping to give residents a better quality of life.
“The new library is the perfect central hub for students, residents, visitors and new businesses with brand new innovative facilities and a new café to enjoy.”
The building upgrade will better meet the needs of more people who live, work, study and visit Bolton.
For more updates and programme of activities visit www.boltonlams.co.uk or follow Bolton Library and Museum Services on socials.
The renovation of Central Library has been funded by the government’s Towns Fund, which has also supported a food hall extension to Bolton Market, the creation of Elizabeth Park, major improvements to Ashburner Street and the ongoing conversion of the Wellsprings office building into a innovation hub for start-up businesses.
Together with the development of Moor Lane, this area of Bolton is being complete transformed as part of the council’s wider plan to regenerate the town centre into a vibrant and attractive place to live, work and visit.