Grand opening announced for new Mereside library and launderette

A new library and laundry room four years in the making is set to open in Mereside with a grand procession, music, and a day of arts and crafts.
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The Langdale Library and Laundry Room – also called Wash Your Words - on Langdale Parade will officially open to the public at 11am on July 30, following a ceremonial procession to transport books from the old Mereside Library at Crummock Place.

Clifton ward coun Paula Burdess said: “This new facility is great news for Mereside. The new library and laundry space will be a fantastic asset for residents to be able to use and socialise.

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“Now that the long-awaited redevelopment of the library nears completion, we cannot wait to invite everyone to the grand opening in a few weeks time.”

The building of the new Mereside libraryThe building of the new Mereside library
The building of the new Mereside library

The concept of a shared community space comprising a library and launderette was proposed by Mereside residents in 2018 along with Leftcoast, which supports arts and culture on the Fylde Coast.

That same year, Leftcoast successfully acquired funding for the project. Work began in 2019, with pop-up activities being held in the area to gather feedback from local people – but was delayed due to the outbreak of Covid-19.

Now complete thanks to the help of Blackpool Council, Blackpool Coastal Housing, and volunteers including members of BetterStart and Volunteer Centre Blackpool, the library is finally ready to open its doors with a day of creative workshops,.

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Activities such as sock puppet making and book bag making will be available to children.

The building of the new Mereside libraryThe building of the new Mereside library
The building of the new Mereside library

LeftCoast’s creative producer Laura Jamieson said: “We are really pleased to open this experimental space with the community of Mereside. Our volunteers have worked really hard to design and build this space, with architects Lee Ivett and Ecaterina Stefenscau over the past year. We hope that it is a useful asset and creative space within the neighbourhood and are looking forward to celebrating with everyone.”

Blackpool Coastal Housing’s director of operations Maggie Cornall said: “We are proud to be a partner of this innovative initiative, built and driven by community members. This project utilises vacant space we had available. We were keen to work on developing a much needed community laundrette with our sister arts company, LeftCoast. We hoped bringing the library into the facility would add an important dimension, at the same time improving the library services on Mereside making them more accessible and welcoming.

“We look forward to seeing the community benefit from the new facility offering more opportunities for people to come together, build supportive friendships and take advantage of potential opportunities which wouldn’t have been possible without this collaboration.”

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Prior to the opening of the library on July 30, LeftCoast’s associate artist Gillian Wood will be hosting two free workshops: natural dyeing on Mereside Green on July 19, 12pm until 4pm, and book making at the old Mereside Library on July 21, 2pm until 5pm.

The building of the new Mereside libraryThe building of the new Mereside library
The building of the new Mereside library

Lois Duxbury, Mereside Library manager, said: “The Wash Your Words site will provide a safe space for so many throughout the community and also the wider Blackpool population. It will also allow the library service to expand its offers and provide more for the community.”

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