Friends of Twyford Library

A new working group has been formed by Twyford Village Partnership to continue the campaign for a new library in a central location in Twyford. Headed up by Stephen Conway (our local Borough Councillor) this group has already had a meeting with the Chief Executive of Wokingham Borough Council.

To join the group or find out more details visit the Twyford Village Partnership website at www.twyfordvillage.com

Well, we didn't win the lottery.

The list of lucky library authorities to have been granted awards was released by the Big Lottery Fund on 29th October 2007 and we were not on it. The full list of awards can be seen on http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/pr_301007_eng_libraries_awards

The Twyford Advertiser (Nov 1, 2007) summed it up well with their sub-heading: "Campaigners now lack funding and site".

Any suggestions welcome...

J W Greens - another Italian Restaurant

Well, I imagine the 'powers that be' at Wokingham Borough Council must feel very relieved that the site of J W Greens at 25 London Road, Twyford is no longer available for us to campaign for it's use as a Community Library. Planning Application no. F/2007/206 for the "Proposed change of use from Public House Class A4 use to restaurant Class A3 & A5 use (existing bay windows removed and replaced with dorma type glazing)" was approved on 25/09/07.

This proposal was approved despite that fact that the Borough Council had already been presented with a petition of 739 signatures in July 2006 and a very dedicated individual had collected an additional 261 signatures on a petition requesting that Wokingham Borough Council secure the site of J W Greens for use as a Community Library.

The timing is terrible as we hope to hear on Thursday 11th October '07 whether the application to the Big Lottery's Community Library fund was successful. It feels as if the site has been snatched away from us just as we might have had the chance of securing it for the community.

So the question is - if not J W Greens, then where?

It was such an obvious, convenient and central location that we will be hard pressed to think of anywhere that has such universal appeal.

Please leave your suggestions below - the hunt is on for a new location to relaunch our campaign!

Borough Council will bid for Lottery Funding

Thank you to everyone who sent letters and e-mails to our local councillor. The Wokingham Borough Council press release (March 19 2007) said "Residents in both areas have shown themselves strongly in favour of a new library". The two areas referred to here are Twyford and Finchampstead, if the bid is successful then the money will be shared by both locations.

Interestingly, the press release was unable to shed any light on a location for Twyford library, saying:
“Wokingham Borough Council hopes to place the new library facilities on the same site as new children’s centres that it is developing across the borough.”
and
“There is currently no site earmarked for a new library in Twyford.”



Image: page 5 of the Twyford Advertiser, March 22, 2007

Twyford Advertiser - Library Hope Renewed

Twyford Advertiser, 18th January 2007



It's hard to count heads in the picture above as we were all covered up to keep out the torrential rain - however despite the awful weather a fantastic 15 adults and 9 children turned up to show their support.

Thank you to those who got soaking wet keeping their fingers crossed for Twyford Library and thank you to everyone who has written or e-mailed with their vision for Twyford Community Library. Keep them coming - before the end of January please!

Twyford Times - Villagers Show Support

Twyford Times, Wednesday 17th January 2007


"Villagers have bombarded councillors with letters and emails backing the plan for a new library in Twyford"

I like it! Keep up the good work! Every letter and e-mail that you send with your thoughts on how our community would benefit from a bigger library in a central location will be used to urge Wokingham District Council to submit a bid to the Big Lottery Fund for Twyford Library. It has to be worth trying.

2007 - New Year, New Start for Twyford Community Library!

Do you still support the idea of a bigger better community library in a central location such as J W Greens (which remains vacant) for Twyford and the surrounding parishes?

Although it may seem like a distant nightmare, many people still feel we were treated very poorly by Wokingham District Council who seemed unable to hear the voice of our community calling for better library provision for our area.

The only reason we were given for WDC's refusal to act on our request to purchase the site of J W Greens for a community library and children's centre was cost. Well, here is their golden opportunity!

The Big Lottery Fund has a Community Libraries Programme with a total of £80 million available. All local authority library services across England are able to apply for £250,000 up to £2 million, the average amount being £800,000 - just the amount quoted by the leader of WDC as the amount required to purchase and refurbish J W Greens!

Everyone worked so hard last summer - thank you for all your effort and support - let's now give it one more push. Make your voices be heard again! Write to or e-mail your local councillor requesting that they ask WDC to submit a bid to the Big Lottery Fund for a grant to provide Twyford, Ruscombe, Charvil, Hurst and the Northern Parishes with the size of community library that we so desperately need. It would help if you could indicate how you would like the community space to be used. There were some great ideas at the public meeting - art displays, local history displays, book club meetings...and many more great suggestions. The more people who share their vision for the community library - the better it will be for everyone, so don't be shy! What could this mean to you or your group or organisation?

Contact us for more information: community_speaks@hotmail.co.uk
or contact your local councillor directly:

Cllr Stephen Conway (Twyford) e-mail: drsrconway@aol.com
address: 20 Arnside Close, TWYFORD, RG10 9BS

Cllr Pamela Graddon (Charvil) Pamela.graddon@wokingham.gov.uk

The Vibrant Village Debate!

I saw the front-page article in the Twyford Advertiser (August 17th 2006) covering the reaction to Cllr Frank Browne's views on Twyford (thanks to my fab neighbour for saving it for me while I was away!). If you wrote a letter to the Readers' Viewpoint section then please feel free to add it to the comments section below.

To me, the relocation of Twyford Library to the site of J W Greens is all about potential; about how much more it could do for our community. I don't think that the current state of the High Street is the real issue and unless Cllr Frank Browne is a resident or regular shopper in Twyford then he really isn't in any position to comment!

Would a centrally located library allow you to access it more often? Would it benefit our community as a whole? Add your views below.

Twyford Advertiser August 10th 2006

This article discussed the suitability of the Twyford & Ruscombe Theatre Group's building as a possible location for Twyford Library. I still believe that a central location would benefit more people - what do you think? Add your comments below!


Incidently, the front page of this edition of the Twyford Advertiser showed a play area in Waltham Chase which has become totally overgrown by weeds and is therefore unusable. Yet another example of Twyford suffering from Wokingham District Council's political games. It is still incredible to believe that Cllr Frank Browne actually said that he looked forward to the day when Twyford was Conservative. Is he saying that will be the day when he intends to actually spend any council money on Twyford? Does that come under bribery or blackmail?

The Twyford Advertiser tells it like it is!

My recent depression was greatly lifted on Thursday morning (August 3rd) as I leant on the ice-cream freezer in the paper shop and read Victoria's article in the Twyford Advertiser. I did buy the paper I hasten to add, it's just that having started reading I found I couldn't put it down.

Although the news was still not the good news we would all like to hear, it was great to read the case put so well by someone who understands what this would mean to the village and the community as a whole. Victoria has obviously done her homework; following Anne's question at the public meeting, Victoria has discovered that the extra 194 homes in Twyford have generated an additional £1,197,300.82 in council tax. I find myself asking yet again, can the district council really not find the balance of £210,000 needed to secure the site of J W Green's as a community library for the northern parishes?

I am sure many other people will have read this article, particularly the council leader's rich language in his comments on page 3 (something I have also experienced first hand). Please add your comments by clicking on the word comment below. I have been told you need to click 'other' when prompted - I hope this makes it easier to do!

Reading Chronicle, Thursday August 3rd 2006

Library users throw book at council
(sorry, couldn't quite fit it all on the scanner!)

I like how the chronicle have called it a stand-off between Twyford villagers and the district council. If only the district council were paying us that much attention! Personally I feel as if I have been chewed-up and spat-out. The Wokingham District Council meeting on Thursday 27th July was a real low point for me. Surely they can find £210,000 for our community library?

Twyford Times Report on the District Council Meeting

Front page of Twyford Times, Weds August 2nd 2006

Yes it's true, incredible as it may seem, the Leader of Wokingham District Council really did say that if we want the site of J W Green's so much then we should pay extra taxes to our Parish Council and thereby raise the money to pay for it ourselves!
My first ever visit to a District Council Meeting left me apalled and depressed. Not only did it seem to me that there was one person calling the shots, it became apparent that this person was trying to create the impression that this would cost more than it actually does.
Please add your comments below.

If Only......

For a trip back 20 years, and maybe a wry smile, check out this photo of the library portacabin in it's heyday!

Juggling The Books

Katherine Griffiths summed the situation up well in this article in the Twyford Advertiser (July27th): "This temporary library on the outskirts of the village is still in place 20 years on. In those 20 years the population of Twyford has grown enormously and our library has not."



As for 'juggling the books' - can Wokingham District Council really say that this is not value for money? Numbers are not my strong point however the figures involves are as follows:
Asking price for lease of J W Greens = £600,000
Developer Contribution (section 106) money available = £40,000
By including a Children's Centre (plenty of space for it - and ideal location!) = £200,000
Sale of current library land in Polehampton Close = minimum £150,000
Maximum remaining amount required from WDC = £210,000
Think how many more houses and therefore more council-tax payers this area now has, can Wokingham District Council really not find £210,000 for this rare opportunity?

The Voice of the Community

Thank you so much to everyone who has contributed to this campaign. It is wonderful how people have really come together on this issue. I have received another lovely letter which reads as follows:
"My name is Eleanor Rawlings and I have lived in Twyford for over 40 years. In that time I have used the library practically every week and have followed it from the Almshouses to its present location. It really is much too small and way out of easy access.
Councillor Browne is alleged to have said that he believes in spending the council money on education, surely a community library in the centre of the village is as near to anything else to be regarded as part and parcel of education."

More Books Please!

The more people I speak to about Twyford Library the more excellent views and opinions I hear about why so many people feel so strongly on this issue. This is one such example, please continue to let us know what you think - make your voice heard!

"One problem with the current library in Twyford is that it has too few books. Before I moved to work in Wokingham I was a regular visitor to Twyford Library calling at least twice a week. I struggled to find a book I had not already read. The answer was to order a book from another Library for which there is a charge. I soon found I was spending a lot of money in order to read books that residents of other parts of the District could read for free. This strikes me as being an inequitable tax on the residents of the northern parishes.

If I was very lucky, one of the books I wanted would appear on the random movement of books between libraries, but mostly these were books that people at other libraries no longer wanted. An example is the Sharpe series by Bernard Cornwell. When the series was on television it was virtually impossible for Twyford Library to obtain copies.

At other times the book I wanted was in “Reserve” and it surprises me how many books are archived in this way because of the lack of Library space in Wokingham District. A larger library at Twyford would mean a fairer distribution of books and would enable the library service to have fewer books kept in Reserve."

Linda Dane

How Much For The Polehampton Close Site?

The article on the front page of the Twyford Advertiser today raised a very important question; with housing land in Twyford being worth over £2m/acre, how much would the District Council raise from the sale of the current library site in Polehampton Close? Please add any estimates in the comments section below.
This amount would need to figure in any business case being considered by the District Council regarding the purchase of the J W Green's site.

Add Your Comments!

We would really welcome your comments on this issue. By clicking on the comments link below the relevant post you wish to comment on, a new window will pop up where you can type in your comment. You are then asked to choose an identity. Either create a user name and password (your user name will be displayed against your comments and can be your real name or e.g. Twyford Resident), click if you have a web page, or click anonymous if you do not want to display a user name. You will then need to complete a word verification test to prevent spam computers from adding rubbish!
Please add your voice to this campaign - get commenting!

A Heart For Our Community!

Despite a nice and suitably grim-faced photo in the Twyford Times (19th July) I would just like to say that I personally do not consider Twyford to be dying. I believe that the general sentiment at the Public Meeting last week was a positive "look how great this could be for the village!". The article does refer to the various groups such as the over 60's club, the art group and the local history society (to name but a few!) who pointed out the benefits of a library and central community facility allowing their organisations to reach out to the wider community.
It is true that the J W Greens site in its current state does not reflect well on Twyford, and as the sub-heading in the Twyford Times says - we will fight on!

Public Meeting Report

A Public Meeting was convened on 13th July 2006 and attended by 118 local residents from Twyford, Charvil, Ruscombe, Hurst and Sonning to discuss the library provision in Twyford. Many individuals attended as representatives from local groups, and many more individuals sent apologies.

The following summarises key points made at the meeting:

There is overwhelming support from all sections of the Twyford and wider community to relocate the library to JW Greens – young, elderly, business, minority groups and from surrounding villages.
There remain unanswered questions surrounding the allocation of Section 106 monies to cultural and library development in Twyford by the District Council.
There is dissatisfaction within the community at Wokingham District Council’s reluctance to honor its commitments to developing a centrally located library.
The meeting called on the Council to seize the opportunity of purchasing JW Greens and create a new library in central Twyford.

Meeting Outline
The meeting was chaired by the Chairman of Governors, Polehampton CofE Junior School, and was addressed by three speakers from the local community representing differing perspectives, key points from their presentations are summarised below:
Cedric Gilson, Chair TVCMI
Twyford remains under provided for, given the extent and scope of its enlargement. JW Greens is a perfect location for access and regeneration of the village centre.
Kathy Peck, Chair Twyford & Ruscombe Toddler Group
The current library is woefully inadequate for local carers with difficult access and limited opening hours. Libraries demonstratively increase literacy and educational levels for children. JW Greens would be a wonderful location for a new library and possibly house Twyford’s new children’s centre and/or a community crèche facility for local families.
Norman Raybone, Chair SCOF
Twyford is the hub for the northern parishes in Wokingham and is a natural location for a decent library facility – providing easy access for older and disabled residents. Recent suggestions that the new Crossrail rail transport system be extended to Twyford would only increase pressure on the village and extend it further. The current library was built over 20 years ago is running well past its known shelf life.

In addition, an email statement from Cllr Dianne King, Executive Member with responsibility for Community Development was read out.

The following summarises key points raised during public discussion:

Chair Over60s and Derby & Joan Club – the provision of a library must be in the centre of the village to bring life back into the centre, the lack of one being “an absolute disgrace”.

Citizen, member of numerous local societies – questioning concerning the amount of capital which might be available and where Section 106 monies have been allocated for Twyford following Waitrose’s move into the village.

Members of both Twyford and Charvil Parish Councils spoke in full support of the proposal purchase of JW Greens.

Chair Twyford & Ruscombe Art Group – requested a hall for exhibitions in line with general support for library provision which would provide extended services for the community.

Local business representative from Twyford Interiors – small businesses continue to struggle in Twyford, a central community hub would help ‘keep’ and develop custom in the village.

Individual local residents made the following observations:

The library would become a village hub, drawing people further into the village.
The loss of the current portacabin would necessitate a review of the storage of invaluable local history society archives which could be displayed in a new library facility.
A centrally located library would provide a wonderful community space for wider activities eg. poetry/counselling/meeting rooms/house the current thriving book club in the community.

The meeting was closed with a poem written by Kevin Power dedicated to Twyford Library.

Conclusion
It was agreed that key points from the meeting be written up and submitted to Wokingham District Council with a request that the Council seizes the opportunity to purchase JW Greens to provide a decent library service and benefit the whole of the northern parishes of the Wokingham district.

Fantastic Show of Support at Public Meeting

Thank you to the 118 people who attended the Public Meeting at St Mary's Church Centre and participated in a hugely positive discussion regarding the relocation of Twyford Library.

Notes from the meeting are being written up and will be presented to District Councillors as soon as possible (a summary will also be published here). A meeting has been requested with Frank Browne to put forward the views of our community raised during the meeting.

Public Meeting Makes Front Page of Twyford Times

Support for the Community Action Group has grown fast and significant numbers of people have been contacting their District Councillors to urge them to support the relocation of Twyford Library to the vacant site of J W Green's Bar. Use the links below to email your local District Councillor with your opinion on this matter.

It became clear that this is about more than a library; it is about a central community space, a heart for our community, a place for groups and individuals to meet. It became obvious that a Public Meeting was the best way for everyone to express their views and make their voices heard as a strong community speaking together. The Twyford Times helped to spread the word about the meeting by inviting every to attend in an article on the front page of their paper.

Twyford (Cllr Stephen Conway) drsrconway@aol.com
Charvil (Cllr Pamela Graddon) Pamela.graddon@wokingham.gov.uk
Wargrave, Ruscombe & Remenham (Cllr Frank Browne and Cllr Christopher Schutz) frankb@wokingham.gov.uk and christopher.schutz@wokingham.gov.uk
Hurst (Cllr Annette Drake) annette.drake@wokingham.gov.uk
Sonning (Cllr David Ashman) david.ashman@wokingham.gov.uk

Pram Push to Twyford Library

At 10am today 15 parents and carers with their children joined together in a protest walk up the High Street beyond the traffic lights towards the Library. As the photograph in the Twyford Advertiser showed; there is no room for oncoming pedestrians to pass, double buggies barely fit on the narrow pavement and children walking have to hold onto their parent's shirt-tails to stay close and not be scared by the cars.

Liz Chaderton from Hurst is a childminder and parent and pointed out that with the current library being in a portacabin it doesn’t take the children long to discover what a load noise they can make with their feet! She says “We want children’s early experiences of libraries to be positive. Because Twyford Library is so small the other users are easily disturbed.”

Sarah Thompson from Charvil Toddler Group ‘The Caterpillar Club’ says “It would be so convenient if Twyford library was in the centre of the village, it would attract more people from the surrounding area. People would be able to make a combined journey for the shops and library, similar to the approach used to encourage people to recycle; by combining shopping with a library visit people would be able to make more efficient use of their time.”

Why do I want a centrally located library?

I have followed with interest Victoria Vaughan's reports in the Twyford Advertiser regarding proposed plans to relocate Twyford Library from the small Portacabin in Polehampton Close to the vacant site of J W Green's Bar in the centre of Twyford.

As Chair of Twyford & Ruscombe Toddler Group I have spoken with many parents and carers who would love to visit the library more often with their children but are prevented from doing so by the irregular and infrequent opening hours and the hair-raising walk along the High Street beyond the traffic lights with bugggies and small children.

I then found out about the EPPE Project which found that one of the contributing factors towards a child's early literacy attainment was regular visits to the library with their parents. This made me realise that I needed to get involved in the campaign to relocate Twyford library to a central position to represent the views of our Toddler Group members.

Twyford's strong community spirit then came to play as I discussed my feelings with the Chair of Happy Hours Pre-School who put me in touch with a few parents of children from the Polehampton Schools and we all got together to start the Twyford Community Library Action Group. This group is open to all individuals and representatives of groups from Twyford and the surrounding parishes. Please contact us at community_speaks@hotmail.co.uk to register your support.