Tyneside crime writer Ann Cleeves officially opened the new community library in Meadow Well's Cedarwood Trust centre by cutting the police tape, rather than a ribbon.
Ann, famed for writing the Vera and Shetland series, among other award-winning novels, helped formally open the first library in Meadow Well for many years. At the event to mark the opening, she spoke of how vital sharing the joy of reading was, and said she was delighted to help spread the word.
The new library is hoped to make it easier for people in North Shields and Meadow Well to get hold of books. Though only a selection of books will be available at any one time, the charity has partnered with North Tyneside Libraries to ensure the books are swapped every few weeks.
Ann said: "It's an absolute honour to be here at the Cedarwood Trust here in Meadow Well to open the new community library in Meadow Well. There hasn't been a library on Meadow Well for many years and it's the first step to bringing people back to reading. They already host a reading group which brings people together who share a passion for reading.
"It's also somewhere you can disagree, but kindly. I think that's very important too. I'm very glad to be here with lots of people to celebrate the opening of this wonderful facility."
Cedarwood Trust works to tackle poverty and inequality both in North Shields the North East and in general and hopes the new library will help people in the Meadow Well area to access books they'd otherwise be unable to afford.
Project leader Cherri Bray said: "This new library will be run by the community, for the community. We want to get children on the estate into reading: sometimes with parents in the area books are not the first port of call for how they entertain their children, as we enter the digital age so much is now done on screens.
“We want to be able to give people who perhaps wouldn’t normally be able to afford books access to literature, right on their doorstep. We hope this will encourage a love of reading and also help with literacy in the area, which in turn can have a real positive impact on other parts of people’s lives.
"We are delighted a celebrated author of Ann’s calibre has shown her support to the Cedarwood Trust and is backing what we are trying to do."
The books for the community library are being provided by North Tyneside Libraries, and will be swapped every few weeks to give local residents access to a wide range of titles.
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