Painswick community-run library set to open in the summer

The first community-run library in Gloucestershire is to open in "early summer", the county council has said.

The facility at Painswick town hall will be staffed entirely by volunteers, who will be trained by council staff.

The town's council-run library closed in 2009 after it was declared unfit for purpose.

Gloucestershire County Council has given a grant of £32,000 to help set up the library, and also £38,500 over four years for running costs.

Peter Corley from the Trustees of the Community Library in Painswick (CLIP), said: "We are delighted and grateful for the improvements to the town hall and look forward to moving into the refurbished hall now that the work has been completed."

Leader of Gloucestershire County Council Mark Hawthorne said: "Painswick library is a fantastic example of a community library and I'm delighted we have reached this milestone."

Since the library closed it has been served by a mobile library but the future of that facility is currently under review as the county council looks to cut £1.8m from the library's budget.