Crowthorne and Sandhurst

Bookworms young and old paid a visit to the new Crowthorne Library on Thursday morning when it was officially opened.

A morning of celebration filled the customer-friendly library in the Crowthorne High Street as staff, local dignitaries, residents and children all popped in to check out the facilities on offer.

Mayor of the Borough of Bracknell Forest, Cllr Clifton Thompson, declared the library open while Cllr Alan Ward, Executive Member for Education and Libraries thanked staff for all their hard work.

Book-lovers have been leafing their way through all the latest novels since the Crowthorne library opened in January but in keeping with the new school term, when the thirst for information is at its peak, it was decided the new building should be celebrated in September with an official opening ceremony.

Many villagers have already made the most of the 20,000 books, DVDs, CDs and PCs with free internet access and more than 1,110 people have become members since the library opened in January - several of whom joined up at the launch.

Ruth Burgess, Head of Libraries and Information, said: "It was wonderful to be able to celebrate the opening of this great new library, which really is in the heart of Crowthorne.

"We were really pleased so many people came down to look around and join us for a drink on Thursday morning.

"Crowthorne Library is already popular with many residents and I hope more people will come down and join up as members in the future.

The library is almost twice the size of the old library in Lower Broadmoor Road and includes a meeting room which is used for children's story times and community group gatherings.

Cllr Ward said: "It was great to be present on Thursday morning when the Mayor officially opened this wonderful new facility.

"Most people I spoke to agreed that externally it has added greatly to the Crowthorne street scene and internally has provided a great new facility for Crowthorne.

"Since the library moved to this new site some nine months ago several hundred new people have joined and more than 10,000 extra books have been taken out compared with the previous comparable period.

"Altogether it was a great day for Crowthorne."

Bracknell Forest Borough Council

Bookworms who have been leafing through some of the newest novels around have been invited to celebrate the official opening of Crowthorne Library.

The Crowthorne village centre library opened its doors to book-lovers in January but will be officially opened by the Mayor of Bracknell Forest, Cllr Clifton Thompson, and the Executive Member for Education and Libraries, Cllr Alan Ward, on Thursday, September 14.

Hundreds of villagers have already made the most of the 20,000 books, DVDs, CDs and PCs with free internet access, that are on offer and have taken advantage of the customer-friendly lay-out.

And as a celebration to mark the opening library-users, residents and village leaders have all been invited to stop by and have a cup of tea on Thursday morning and have a look at what facilities are on offer.

Ruth Burgess, Head of Libraries and Information, said: "Many residents have already visited the new library and seen what a delightful place it is.

"With the new school term starting, which is a time when people usually want to find out about borrowing books and getting information, we thought it would be a great opportunity to invite even more people along, show them what is on offer and thank them for their interest with some refreshments.

"The library has a wealth of books and information but also has lots of entertainment on offer including the latest DVDs, CDs and Playstation 2 games so there's something here for everyone."

The Crowthorne library is almost twice the size of the old library in Lower Broadmoor Road and includes a meeting room which is used for children's story times and community group gatherings.

Cllr Ward said: "The new library is an excellent resource and is kitted out to the highest standards with customers' needs firmly in mind.

"I would encourage anyone who hasn't been to see it yet to go and have a look on Thursday and celebrate this great facility opening up in the village centre."

Bracknell Forest Borough Council ~ Crowthorne

Award winning novelist Lionel Shriver is set to delight fans when she visits Crowthorne Library on Thursday October 5.

Lionel's seventh novel, 'We Need to Talk about Kevin', won the prestigious Orange Prize for Fiction in 2005 and she is as a regular guest on BBC2's Newsnight Review.

‘We Need to Talk about Kevin’ focuses on a mother's anguish over whether she has failed her child.

Born Margaret Ann Shriver she decided she wanted to become a writer at the age of seven and her first novel was published when she was 29.

A graduate of Columbia University, she has written extensively for the Wall Street Journal, Philadelphia Enquirer, Economist and the Guardian.

Now based in London she continues to work as a journalist in spite of the huge impact made by ‘We Need to Talk about Kevin’ which quickly became a best seller that stayed in the book charts for more than a year.

Lionel will give a talk and answer questions about her life, writing career and novels when she meets fans at Crowthorne Library next month.

Ruth Burgess, Head of Libraries and Information, said: "We are delighted to welcome such a high profile writer to Crowthorne Library.

"Fans and newcomers to Lionel's work will get a great insight to her novels and she's had an equally interesting career as a journalist.

"Her visit will be fascinating for anyone interested in books and everyone is welcome to come along."

Tickets for Lionel Shriver's visit are on sale from tomorrow (Saturday September 2) at Crowthorne Library, priced at £2 each to included light refreshments.

Log on to the Council's website: www.bracknell-forest.gov.uk/libraries for information about the library services and forthcoming events.

Bracknell Forest Borough Council

Young people are being invited to brush up on their childcare skills at a babysitting course starting at Edgbarrow Youth Centre in Crowthorne next month.

There are still a few spaces available on the course which is due to start on September 25.

Bracknell Forest Borough Council's Youth Service runs babysitting courses at different youth centres around the borough if enough young people are interested in taking part.

During the course which will run for two hours every Wednesday evening for ten weeks, the young people will learn about child development, basic care, fire safety, child protection and first aid as well as other key skills.

And if they pass the test at the end of it they will be presented with a certificate. If they are taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh scheme, passing the course will count as a credit towards it.

The course will be run by two youth workers and is open to girls and boys aged 14 and over.

Cllr Dr Gareth Barnard, Executive Member for Crowthorne Children's Services, said: "This course is a great opportunity for young people to learn new skills that will be useful throughout their lives.

"There's plenty to learn but I know from similar courses in past years that everyone taking part gets a lot out of it and has a good deal of fun too."

Anyone interested in joining the course should contact Gill Carter at Edgbarrow Youth Centre, Edgbarrow School, Crowthorne, RG45 7HZ, tel: 01344 773998, email: gill.carter@bracknell-forest.gov.uk

Bracknell Forest Borough Council