Books changed my life, says former homeless man

Stewart Holmes said reading courses at Birmingham central library helped to turn his life around

A former homeless man said books helped to change his life after learning to read at Birmingham's central library.

Stewart Holmes added his voice to the campaign to save England's under-threat libraries as a BBC investigation found more than 180 council-run libraries had either closed or been handed over to volunteer groups in the UK since 2016.

The 63-year-old, who became homeless after leaving school at 15, learned to read with adult reading courses in the library at age 20.

“On days when it was cold and wet, the old library was the place to go and shelter. It was warm. And there are lots of books,” he said.

During his time at the library he found out it ran a course helping adults to read.

Shortly after he went on to do A-levels and study at Coventry University, where he studied social and therapeutic horticulture.

Stewart said the confidence he gained from his library trips helped him to have a career as a horticultural therapist and taught him how to express himself.

“People talk about food poverty. Well, what about literature poverty?” he said.

“Books changed my life, changed my way of thinking,” he said.

“I felt so down and books inspired me.”

Figures show more deprived communities are four times more likely to have lost a publicly-funded library in the last eight years, while 2,000 jobs have also been lost.

At Birmingham City Council, which declared effective bankruptcy in 2023 over a longstanding equal pay claim, the authority is consulting on plans to reduce its 35 libraries down to 25.

But campaigners have asked for the process to be slowed and said “devastating measures” were being proposed over a short timescale.

A campaigner that started a petition to protect Acocks Green Library, Alex Thompson, said the community had a responsibility to protect libraries for the next generation.

“We need to fight to keep our library open and stand together with libraries across the city to force the council to change their plans,” she said.

“We’re not going to roll over and let this happen.”

Thousands of people have signed similar petitions across the city and pledged support under the Save Birmingham campaign.

'Unsettling time'

On the Save Birmingham campaign's website, more than 200 community spaces have been listed as places of importance in need of protection.

A spokesperson for Birmingham City Council previously said the recognised it was an "unsettling time for many of our residents".

“While we must operate within budget constraints, we are committed to preserving our statutory duty of providing an efficient and comprehensive library service to meet both current and future resident needs," they added.