Cobbett Hub & Library has had a partial makeover to create more attractive spaces for groups and individuals to hire, thereby generating income to help keep the library ticking over.

 

You may have already seen that the children’s library and the community room – home to all manner of activities from art groups to Tai chi – have swapped rooms.

What was the children's library...

“As a short-term fix we decided to move the children’s library through there, and this [the new community room] gives us a space that we can now rent out,” said Fiona Hardie, head of business development at SCiA (previously SCA), which has been running the library since council funding stopped in 2016.

The problem with renting the community room out before was that people needed to walk through to access the loos, so quieter activities were always in danger of being disturbed.

'Receptive to ideas'

Now the large meeting area offers a flexible and private space with potential for a range of uses. The library says it’s receptive to ideas for new events, and it’s fundraising to improve technical facilities available.

It’s hoped the space will appeal to more hirers such as community groups, local authorities, businesses, and individuals for private events – and it can be made available outside of normal library opening times. The desks fold up and the chairs can be stacked away.

“We know that we’ve increased booked hours for September and October for hirings,” said Wendy Lee, SCiA’s head of health and wellbeing. “And the community are booking it for weekends for birthday parties and things like that.”

“The original hirers – the art group, the tea and chat group, the SEEDS home education group, the drama group – they’re all still here enjoying the space... we’ve got some new groups now: Empowered Fitness, and we’ve got sound healing going on every other Thursday night… [that’s] full every single time.”

Children's library in what was the community room

Meanwhile the hope is to make further improvements to the newly-located children’s library, which has been divided into various ‘zones’.

“We’d like to buy additional, nicer, seating areas, [for example] toadstool stools, and we’re actively fundraising for that [and lots of other things] just now,” said Fiona Hardie.

There’s also a small meeting room behind the new children’s library, which was previously used for storage, and which is another private area suitable for up to about eight people, for small meetings, training, counselling sessions or perhaps health checks.

Longer-term there’s talk of further, ambitious, changes at Cobbett if the funding can be raised – perhaps a folding partition between the children’s library and meeting room so it can open into a still larger space, installing a new kitchen with hatch onto the children’s library, and new loos where the office is to “improve the flow of the place” and make the building more accessible.

“We’ve got some exploratory work to do to see what’s viable, still,” said Fiona.

• To find out more about hiring space, or about volunteering at the library, click here for contact details.

Cobbett Hub & Library
Cobbett Road, Southampton SO18 1HL

Library opening hours
Mon: 10am- 7pm
Wed: 10am - 5pm
Fri: 10am - 5pm
Sat: 10am-1pm