As one door closes, another opens invitingly for us... AS SO often in the long, troubled story of the fight for Puddletown Library, there’s good news ─ PLUM and there’s bad. Let’s get the bad news out of the The Newsletter of the Friends of Puddletown Library December 2011 way first, as there is less of it this Here’s an important date for your new diary… time. You’ve probably heard that Monday 23 January at 7pm when Dorset County Council was in the given the chance to think again about its plan to stop funding our Church Room, Puddletown library, it used the opportunity to when the Friends will hold our annual show its determination to do so. The meeting. As there is so much to discuss second vote last month was 25-14 and decide this year, please make every so we are now definitely on our own. effort to be there. There’ll be elections, of course. In particular we will need to find a The good news is that even though it is so determined to cut what it chairman to replace Mike Chaney, who says spends on our library, the county’s his increasing immobility is limiting his library service has spelled out in usefulness. He’ll be doing some backroom more detail the help it is to give us work so we won’t lose his drive completely. so that we can run it for ourselves. More importantly we will need to put some ‘We are greatly encouraged by the very positive and helpful attitude we flesh on the bones of the deal that our encountered when we met Dorset’s management team are hammering out with library manager, Tracy Long, last the county’s library service ( an outline of week,’ says long-serving library which is covered in the main report on this page .) volunteer Roy Bennett. ‘She There will be much to do before we take confirmed the council’s offer to over the library. Your two penn’orth and continue to supply the books we will need to be a credible library. More your ideas will be needed. Please be there importantly she gave us hope that to have your say if you possibly can. we can widen our activities.’ Roy believes that along with Tolpuddle and the smaller surrounding villages, the legion of new volunteers (see overleaf) to Puddletown community can make the library open the building every afternoon as well as building into a real asset for all local people, on Saturday mornings. not just our readers. ‘We have yet to finalise what other services ‘Although there is still a lot of talking to be we can offer, so bright ideas will be needed at done,’ he says, ‘it does seem clear that the our annual meeting next month. The great library service will let us develop the thing is that it looks as though we can provide opportunities the building offers well before a meeting place that is free, welcoming and the official hand-over date. We are hopeful always open when so many others in rural that before the summer we can use our areas are having to close their doors.’ We’ll need your subscription even more in 2012. We’ll need more in our kitty as we take on the cost of the library’s bills for ourselves PLUM page two Stepping up and It’ll all need to be paid for, of LIBRARY-LOVERS from our community have responded being course magnificently to the news All the enterprising ideas that if we want a library here we come up with to we must run it for ourselves. counte d develop wider uses for our library will, of course, need At village meetings in both the county council,’ says to be paid for. Even though Puddletown and Tolpuddle Stephen Buck, who as well the Friends’ managers have there was almost a rush to as being the Friends’ been very successful in apply to be trained as library treasurer is also chairman of raising money from local volunteers: 28 extra people the parish council. ‘When we funding organisations*, the are either being trained now explained that we needed to backbone of our finances is or will soon start training. get our new volunteers busy the subs of our members. So please send your 2012 ‘This most encouraging or they’d lose their fivers (couples £8) to response has strengthened enthusiasm, the library treasurer Stephen Buck at us in our negotiations with service offered to train them 3 High Street, Puddletown well ahead of its plans for DT2 8RT. If you pay by other community volunteers. Anyone with a taste cheque please make it ‘This means that, with any payable to the Friends of for paperwork? luck,’ says Steve, ‘we can Puddletown Library. begin to extend the hours *THANK YOU NOTE: We which this facility can be very gratefully acknowledge this year’s gifts of £150 from open, perhaps by summer. the Puddletown Carnival Not only must we replace Mike Chaney ‘As the building will quickly Committee and of £200 from as our chairman but, as he’s also been become much more than just West Dorset District our ‘acting’ secretary for the past four a library we will need a new Council’s markets fund. years, we’ll also need to find someone This valuable support has to look after our paperwork for us. If you title for the place. The best enabled us to pay for the are willing to give it a go, please call suggestion so far is “Swop broadband subscription we 848352 and we can get your name on Shop” but I’m sure we can need to provide our free the nominations list for the AGM. do better ─ with your help.’ computing instruction. Our noble friend, Lord ‘Downton Abbey’ The Oscar-winning local Piddletown Fair he told funding all the county’s writer Julian Fellowes, a big crowd in The libraries. His appeal was Lord Fellowes of West Square, Puddletown, not heeded, however, by Stafford, has not only that we set an example our own councillor spoken out on behalf of to the whole country. In David Crowhurst. He not all Dorset’s libraries but a letter to the leader of only did not support us, he has commended the Dorset County Council he also failed to stand way people here are before the November up for his own plan working to keep our vote he praised our which would have library open. When he efforts in his appeal to spared all 34 county came to open the all councillors to go on libraries. Julian Fellowes speaking in The Square, Puddletown If you have an email address, please send details to [email protected]. Emailing our newsletter saves on postage ─ and our distributors’ weary feet... .