About Friends of Pennard Library
Friends of Pennard Library is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), Registered Charity Number: 1158806
Initially formed as the “Pennard Library Working Group” at the community’s first Public Meeting in early December 2013 (the meeting was held in order to discuss our Local Authority’s proposal to close Pennard Library), by late January 2014 (after the Group had presented its 27 page formal document of objection to the L.A.; q.v. Pennard Action Group Report_1.1_Final) it was realised that in order to support not only Pennard Library itself, to keep it open together with its Librarians in place, a ‘new’ Group had to be formed, and its Objectives (through Advocacy, Support, Fund-raising and Activities) needed to be accessible to everyone.
Due primarily to the latter, the “Friends of Pennard Library” (FoPL) was formed at the end of January 2014, its main aim being keep to Pennard Library open with its current staff in place, but also with its added FoPL Objectives to:
- Advise the Gower Community in general, and the communities within the Pennard Ward and the Bishopston Ward in particular, of and about all news concerning principally Pennard Library, but also about other Libraries within our Local Authority’s area, within Wales, and within the UK, especially where ‘actions’ taken elsewhere could so easily impound upon our own Library and its staff;
- Promote information about the Library, its activities and future, through various forms of media, including this website, poster displays, local and national media, social networking sites, and by other available means;
- Discuss with communities in Gower, individual’s/individuals’ needs, desires, hopes and other aspirations relating to Pennard’s Library service, and how the latter is (and will be) able to meet those needs etc;
- Invite the Gower Community in general, and the communities within the Pennard Ward and the Bishopston Ward in particular, to show their own support for Pennard Library through becoming a member or members of the “Friends of Pennard Library“, and through such membership, being able to play a vital part in sustaining our Library’s future;
- Hold an Annual General Meeting (AGM) in April of every year in order to a) Report on the previous year’s activities; b) Give a financial report for the previous year; c) Hold an election for Committee members; d) Put forward any proposed amendments to the Friends of Pennard Library’s constitution and/or any other properly notified business (Please Note: Advance notice of such AGM will be provided on this website, on local posters, and within other media at least 14 (fourteen) days in advance, of the agenda, the date, and the time of the meeting)
To date, the “Friends of Pennard Library” have drawn up a full and legally binding Constitution (see https://friendsofpennardlibrary.wordpress.com/friends-of-pennard-library/constitution/ for the wording), have held meetings to discuss various topics, including the creation and running of this website, and to;- a) receive written confirmation from Councillor Nick Bradley that “Pennard Library would not close in 2014 and that if the library were refurbished, then the librarian led service would remain”, b) learn the results of the grant applications made by the L.A. (in January 2014) to both CyMAL (£120k) and RDF (£40k) for the refurbishment of Pennard Library.
As you can imagine, as soon as the “Friends of Pennard Library” received a) above, but also heard the result of both grant applications (i.e. b) above), news of all appeared on the ‘Home’ page of this website.
Having been successful with both a) and b), we now hope that you will take time to explore the rest of this site, as well as to comment on what you have read, and make suggestions as to how you see the future of Pennard Library. Additionally, we hope that you will like what you see, what is and has been undertaken to date, and that you managed to come to the “Friends of Pennard Library” AGM on 26 April 2014.
Thank you.
Friends of Pennard Library 