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Library celebrates 'whirlwind' year since reopening

Laura CoffeyNorthamptonshire political reporter, Kingsthorpe
Laura Coffey/BBC A woman with blonde hair smiling at the camera. She is wearing a black t-shirt and black-and-white patterned jacket. On the left of the picture, a baby boy is looking at the camera. He is wearing a white top and a black jacket. On the right, a young girl is smiling at the camera. She has brown hair and is wearing a black jacket and a black floral top. They are in a library with books in the background. There are other people sitting and standing behind them.Laura Coffey/BBC
Ten-month-old Oscar goes to the library with his mum, Laura, and big sister, Leah. He was the youngest member to get his library card, at just four weeks old.

A library that had been shut for five years has celebrated the first anniversary of its reopening.

Kingsthorpe Community Library in Northampton closed in 2020 following council budget cuts. Its long-awaited relaunch finally happened in March 2025.

In the last 12 months, there have been around 45,000 library visits.

"It's been a whirlwind," said library manager Andrew Naylor. "We're attracting members from right across the community. I think our youngest member was barely four weeks old and, a few weeks ago, we did a Blue Badge for a 99-year-old."

Laura Coffey/BBC A man with grey hair and thick tortoiseshell glasses smiles at the camera. He is wearing a blue lanyard, a herringbone waistcoat and a blue-and-white chequered shirt. In the background is an orange and yellow display board.Laura Coffey/BBC
Library manager Andrew Naylor says the whole community spends time in the library

It is now run by Kingsthorpe Parish Council with help from the local community.

And it is not just about books. It hosts watercolour painting, knit-and-natter sessions and a drumming class.

Mum-of-two Laura has been going to knit-and-natter since her son, Oscar, was four weeks old.

She said: "I go to lots of baby classes and coming here is a bit more [for] adult conversation.

"There's nearly always somebody who's willing to hold Oscar, which means that I get some crochet done as well, which is nice, and I love the cup of tea and the biscuits."

For her five-year-old daughter Leah, who likes books about unicorns, it is a chance to come and play.

She said: "I like the cafe things. I make cherry cakes and tea for mummy and nanny."

Kingsthorpe Community Library A cake in the shape of a blue book with writing on top. In the background are other small cakes. They have been placed on a table.Kingsthorpe Community Library
There were plenty of sweet treats at a celebration marking the first anniversary of the library's reopening

Volunteer Barbara Wheatley said having it open again had been brilliant.

"We just missed it so much, people had to either go to Brixworth, Duston or [into] town, and a lot of people can't do that.

"They've not got the facility or they're not able to, so it was really missed in the community.

"We've had so many people in, so we know how well it's used now," she said.

Laura Coffey/BBC A woman with white hair wearing a dark blue jacket, a green lanyard and a red bead necklace. There are books in the background. She is smiling at the camera.Laura Coffey/BBC
Barbara Wheatley volunteers at the library every week

Library assistant Alice Findlay said it had been clear how much people had missed "having somewhere they can go to meet up with other people".

"They don't have to pay to be here.

"I think we often see ourselves as more of a community centre that happens to have books as opposed to a library.

"We don't ever turn anyone away."

Laura Coffey/BBC A man wearing glasses, a tie and a blue suit with a handkerchief in the jacket pocket and white shirt. He is sitting at a table doing a watercolour painting. He has his paints to his right and a box of paint brushes to his left.Laura Coffey/BBC
Kingsthorpe resident and artist Gerald Porter runs art classes at the library

Gerald Porter is an artist from Kingsthorpe. He teaches watercolour classes twice a week at the library.

"It's a mixed medley of activities happening at the same time.

"Clearly people can still use the library as a library, but it's also a community meeting space," he said.

"It gives people an opportunity to make new friends, enjoy a warm space, make a cup of coffee or tea, have some refreshments, make new friends and generally socialise and become part of the community."

Laura Coffey/BBC A woman with a dark green top and silver necklace is sitting at a table. She has a pair of glasses propped on her head. She has blonde hair. Behind her are shelves of books.Laura Coffey/BBC
Cindy Schofield goes for knit-and-natter sessions

Cindy Schofield goes for the knit-and-natter group.

She wanted to learn crochet, but hated it and so now brings her own sewing.

"I probably spent most of 2019/2020 with my nose pressed against the glass looking at all these library books that were held captive and that nobody could take out and I wanted to adopt them all and I was devastated when it didn't reopen afterwards.

"But the fact that it has reopened in the format it's reopened [in] is even better.

"That's sort of like a highlight of my week to be able to come along. I've met so many lovely friends."

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