Library campaigners backed in revival call

Nine-year-old Cara Restrick with a petition against the closure of Lytham Library in 2016 watched by with fellow supporters Anne McGettigan, Adam Freeland, Kate Patten, Liz Reddy and Maureen Wilson.

A bid to revive Lytham Library has been welcomed by one of the leading figures behind an unsuccessful campaign to prevent its closure last year.

Six months on from the library closing its doors after more than a century as part of Lancashire County Council cutbacks, Lytham folk are being urged to come up with ideas and even financial backing to ensure continued community use of the building as negotiations continue over its future between the County Council and owners Fylde Council.

The campaigning group, which includes representatives of organisations such as Lytham Civic Society and Lytham Heritage Group has been encouraged by the initial reaction to its plea.

Long-time library user Anne McGettigan, who organised an ultimately unsuccessful petition to save the library from closure last autumn, has given her full backing to the bid for a revival.

“It’s great that there is still determination in town to do everything possible to save the library for community use,” said Anne.

“The family, including my young granddaughter Cara, have really missed it since it closed anything that can be done to revive it has to be welcome. I would urge everyone to do anything they can.”

The campaign for a revival, highlighted in last week’s Express, comes after an initial bid to run the library as a community facility was turned down by the County Council in the autumn.

Chris Marshall, a member of the Civic Society committee, said: “Everyone I have spoken to is appalled at the prospect of losing the library. They have all been full of stories of using it for all sorts of reasons.”

Anybody interested in helping to revive Lytham Library can contact either [email protected] or [email protected]