Library opens for first time in 50 years in ‘Heartbeat’ village

VOLUNTEERS HAVE launched a new library service in a remote North Yorkshire village as part of a fightback against the loss of council services in rural communities.

Goathland, high on the North York Moors near Whitby, has been provided with a library for the first time in more than 50 years after villagers teamed up with North Yorkshire County Council.

The last library in the village, which is popular with tourists and was the setting for the ITV series Heartbeat, closed in

1966.

But the service has been reinstated at Goathland Community Hub and Sports Pavilion, a venue launched in 2017 after a fundraising appeal to boost sports and arts facilities in the village.

Keith Thompson, the chairman of trustees at the community venue, also known as The Hut, said: “I am really proud that for the first time in 52 years and with the support of the county council, Goathland residents will have their own library.

“The hub, which we opened last year, is right at the heart of the village and so a great convenient location for residents.”

Community groups have stepped in to run dozens of North Yorkshire libraries after cuts to the local authority’s budget meant the council was struggling to keep them going. Volunteers now run more than 30 libraries in North Yorkshire, with 11 remaining under local authority control.

The only one to close was the library in Hunmanby, near Scarborough, which was replaced by a mobile service in 2012.

North Yorkshire County Council will provide books and staff training for the new Goathland library. It is open on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and the hours could be extended if more volunteers come forward.

Coun Greg White, the county council’s executive member for libraries, said: “We are delighted to be able to provide this collection of books for the village of Goathland and I wish Keith and the volunteers every success with this new venture.

“It’s proof that despite the challenges facing libraries today, they remain loved and valued by our communities and continue to flourish.”

Fundraising appeals and sponsorship raised about £230,000 towards the cost of setting up Goathland Community Hub, which hosts live music, sports events, exhibitions and conferences.

The venue is home to a folk dancing group, the Plough Stots, and houses an exhibition centre dedicated to traditional long sword dancing.

Coun Clive Pearson, who represents the Esk Valley on the council, said: “The library is a valuable addition to the facilities offered by the hub, strengthening its role as a social centre for all members of the community.”

Hundreds of libraries nationally have been lost since 2010, with 127 services closing last year alone, according to figures from the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy.

Local authority spending on library services fell by £30m in 2017-18 and funding has been reduced by 12 per cent in the past four years. The country’s library services lost more than 700 employees last year.

But an army of more than 50,000 volunteers now run libraries in Britain and gave more than 1.7m hours of their time to keep them open last year.

For the first time in 52 years Goathland will have a library. Keith Thompson, chairman of trustees at Goathland Community Hub.