Government minister Lord Gardiner of Kimble was in Ivinghoe on Friday 11th October to visit the Beacon Villages Community Library (BVCL), as part of Buckinghamshire’s Libraries Week.
BVCL, in the medieval Ivinghoe Town Hall, was singled out for the visit as “a great example of how a library can provide a valuable community resource in a rural setting.”
Lord Gardiner is a minister in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. He serves as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Rural Affairs and Biosecurity.
The Community Library, run by a committee of local people, shares space in the town hall with the village post office.
The minister met a dozen library volunteers, library committee members, County Councillor Ann Wight, and parish councillors from the Beacon villages. He showed real interest in the benefits of the library to the rural communities it serves.
The Beacon villages library offers traditional book borrowing and many other services. You can use it to get online, to print and photocopy and use your library membership to access a host of digital services such as e-magazines and e-newspapers.
Beacon Villages Library is one of a cluster of community buildings and facilities in Ivinghoe which include a pharmacy, post office, a hairdresser and a playground as well The Hub, another community-run building with a coffee shop and shared office space.
Avril Davies, who chairs the committee that runs Beacon Villages Community Library, said: “We were delighted to be chosen to host Lord Gardiner today, and show him how our thriving Community Library works. BVCL is an extremely important asset at the heart of our village offering many services and facilities to people in this part of the county and we’ve been able to show that today. ”
Lord Gardiner said: “I am delighted to be here at Beacon Villages Community Library, which is a perfect illustration of how public institutions can bring people together in rural areas. Libraries play a key role for vibrant communities across England, inspiring people of all ages, building digital skills, fostering health and well-being and supporting local business.”
Main Picture: Lord Gardiner at Beacon Villages Community Library with Avril Davies (L) who chairs the library committee, local County Councillor Anne Wight, Cabinet Member Gareth Williams and his Deputy, Noel Brown, library volunteers and parish councillors.
And here is Lord Gardiner’s thank you letter:
