Narberth Library is celebrating a very successful first year in its fantastic, purpose-built new home in the town.

Having opened in the bright, airy and welcoming space at the Town Moor site in September 2024, the library has attracted 361 new members and become an important hub for events and local community groups.

The Project was funded by a £150K grant from Welsh Government and £30K match funding from Pembrokeshire County Council with the new build being part of an agreement to redevelop the Narberth Old School site.

The library, which also now features an office for the Clerk of Narberth Town Council, is a three-way partnership between:

· Pembrokeshire County Council Library Service (PCC), which provides six hours of paid staff time a week (every Thursday)

· Friends of Narberth Library ( FONL), who provide nine hours of Library Volunteer hours a week

· Narberth Town Council, who pay all building related costs (utilities, insurance, etc).

The library has moveable shelving to create unique spaces and dozens of events and activities have been held over the first year.

Young people are well catered for with a colourful Junior Library with a story wall, reading cwtch and sequin board.

Technology incorporated into the library includes self-service for customers to issue and return books themselves, and a digital notice board displaying local events and information.

Narberth Library also has Open+ enabled, where registered members can access the Library outside of staffed hours between 6am and 10pm.

So far 199 hours of use has been recorded outside the staffed hours, with the earliest bookworm accessing the library at 7am.

The library has also seen a welcome increase in Welsh language issues in the first year of operation.

Cllr Rhys Sinnett, PCC Cabinet Member for Residents’ Services, said: “I’m delighted to see that Narberth Library has gone from strength to strength.

“It clearly meets a gap in terms of the needs of the people locally and the Friends of Narberth Library have done a magnificent job in supporting its opening and use. They all deserve a massive congratulations on behalf of the library service and the local citizens. The partnership model is an innovative approach to sharing space and costs and I would also like to thank Narberth Town Council for their support in getting this project up and running.”

Marc Tierney, Chairman of FONL, said: “Narberth Library is a real success where the voluntary sector and local government continue to work together to protect this vital public service with the much-needed financial backing of the Welsh Government.

“It’s almost a decade since I launched the campaign to keep Narberth Library open, supported by the community. In that time, the Friends of Narberth Library have not just kept the library in the town, we’ve supported improvements that now mean the library is open every day from 6am to 10pm for open plus users, enhanced by the knowledge of staff and our volunteers at various times throughout the week.”

Cllr Charlie Meredydd, Mayor of Narberth, said: “It is with great pleasure that I note the one-year anniversary of the opening of the Library.

“To have the library right in the centre of Narberth, along with the Open Access arrangements will benefit all who use this excellent facility and help educate future generations.”

You can find more information about Narberth Library at: https://www.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/pembrokeshire-libraries/narberth-community-library

Narberth Library is open with staff or volunteers:

· Tuesday 10am – 12 noon, 3-5pm

· Wednesday 3-5pm

· Thursday 10am – 1pm, 2-5pm

· Saturday 10am – 1pm

The Town Council Clerk’s working hours are: 10.30am – 4pm, Monday to Friday. Contact: Kris O’Kane, Clerk on 01834 504020.

FONL currently have 17 library volunteers. If you are interested in finding out more about volunteering, please ask at the library. Or contact via the FONL Facebook page.

To mark a year of the library relocating to the Town Moor, Friends of Narberth Library will be hosting a celebration morning on Saturday 25th October between 10am and 12noon, please drop in to find out what Narberth Library has to offer.