Joy as Whalley Library reopens

Local residents and civic dignitaries gathered this morning (Monday) to see the reopening of Whalley Library by county councillor Albert Atkinson, deputy leader of Lancashire County Council.

Following the closure of 26 of the county's 73 libraries by Lancashire County Council towards the end of 2016, the council's new Conservative administration was elected in May 2017, and decided to re-open as many libraries as possible.

Plans have been agreed for the phased reopening of libraries, and Whalley is the ninth to reopen following the reopening of Silverdale library, Parbold library, Burnley Campus Library, Bolton-le-Sands Library, and Fulwood Library in late 2017, and Freckleton Library, Oswaldtwistle Library, and Barrowford Library earlier this month.

Coun. Atkinson said: "This is a busy rural town where people value their local library very highly, and I could not be more pleased to have the honour of reopening Whalley Library today. It is not easy for everyone to travel to the next town to reach a library and people have missed Whalley Library while it has been closed. One of the reasons that libraries are so well-loved is because they provide vital educational and information resources in convenient reach for people, whatever their circumstances."

County councillor Peter Buckley, cabinet member for community and cultural services, said: "Local libraries offer a vital service, providing free access to books, information, and the internet for leisure and learning alike. They also perform a vital social function, being a place where people of all ages can meet, share interests, and engage in activities.

"We're committed to reopening libraries and this marks another important step in our programme of reopening libraries across Lancashire. We've now reopened many of those which had been closed and I'm looking forward to reopening more in the coming weeks."

Opening times for Whalley Library are:

Monday 9am to 1pm

Tuesday 9am to 7pm

Wednesday 9am to 5pm

Thursday Closed

Friday 9am to 5pm

Saturday 9am to 1pm

Sunday Closed