Tree O'Clock - Saturday December 5th

As part of National Tree Week, and to contribute to the "Tree O'Clock" World Record Attempt, on Saturday December 5th members of Garforth in Bloom planted a tree outside the new building. The tree is a prunus cerasifera.

To be eligible for the record attempt - which was to plant the most trees in the space of one hour and was taking place throughout the UK - the tree had to be planted between 11:00 and 12:00 on Saturday 5th. The BBC estimate that as many as 500,000 trees were planted throughout the country in the space of this hour.

Thank you Garforth in Bloom!!!

Up on the roof...

Today I braved vertigo to get these photos, showing some of the interesting Green Technology that has been installed on the roof of the new Garforth Library & One Stop Centre:

This solar panel will heat water for the building.

These sun pipes amplify the sun's rays providing natural light for the first floor of the building. You can see Sedum scattered on the soil around the pipes.

The Sedum roof will eventually look more like this. Apparently it will even have pink and white flowers! And it does need to be weeded during the first year...

It's always sunny in Garforth...

...well maybe not, but on Friday 25th September it was almost too sunny to take a photo of the new building. I'm glad I got one in the end though, as you can see the sign is now up and the tiling is underway. The solar panels for heating the building's water, and the air source heat pump, are now up on the roof as well.

Spectacular Sunflower!

Earlier in the Summer we gave out sunflower seeds to promote the new Library & One Stop Centre. Pauline's sunflower is now over six feet tall! Can anyone beat that?!

Windows now fitted...

Building transformed!

This photo was taken this morning. As you can see the tired old brickwork has now been rendered, transforming the appearance of the building!

Garforth Arts Festival

Young people ran a stall to promote the new Garforth Library & One Stop Centre at the Garforth Arts Festival on Saturday 11th July:


As well as promoting the new Library & One Stop Centre they passed on their art skills by encouraging other young people to decorate pieces of fabric that were strung up in front of our promotional trailer (no they're not pairs of underpants!).

Hundreds of people visited the stall throughout the afternoon, and more than 40 young people decorated fabric.

Young Artists!

Leeds Library & Information Service and the Youth Service have been working in partnership to provide a series of art sessions for teenagers who previously used Garforth Library and/or wanted to get more involved in this Big Lottery project.

The sessions have been led by the artist Mel St Clair. The young people got to try out various art techniques and each completed an individual canvas that will be displayed in the new library when it reopens, but you can get a sneak preview here!

Thanks to Stephen, Nick, Katie, Jared, Joe, Emma, Matt, Shannon and Lucas for all your hard work, and special thanks to Mel for leading the sessions!

First Steering Group Meeting a Success!

The first Steering Group meeting for this project took place on 7th July. Representatives had been invited from all the focus groups and it was great to see a real cross-section of the community in attendance - of all ages & from all walks of life.

Attendees were updated on the progress of the project and we began to look at how we can make the ideas that have been suggested in focus groups a reality.

The next Steering Group meeting will be taking place in early September.

Photographs along the Lines Way

Thanks to Jacqueline Simpson for sending in these beautiful photographs, taken along the Lines Way - the disused railway line that runs from Allerton Bywater to Garforth. Click on a photo to enlarge it...

First Steering Group Meeting

The first meeting of the Garforth Big Lottery Project Steering Group will be taking place on Tuesday 7th July.

The purpose of these Steering Group meetings is to enable representatives from the community to get more involved in this project, to harness the skills and enthusiasm of local people, and to make ideas gathered through the consultation & focus group process a reality in the new building.

If you are interested in getting involved please contact Ben Cleverley on (0113) 3952354.

Focus Group - Thursday 18th June

A "mop up" Focus Group for those who haven't been able to make previous groups is taking place on Thursday 18th June at 6:00 in the Garforth One Stop Centre.

If you are interested in attending please contact Ben Cleverley on (0113) 3952354.

Art Sessions

Teenagers involved in the Garforth Big Lottery Project will be taking part in a series of messy & creative Art Sessions at Garforth Community College, starting next week!

The young people will learn new art techniques and create work to be displayed in the new library.



They will then have the opportunity to demonstrate their new skills - & pass them on to others - at the Garforth Arts Festival on Saturday 11th July!

Focus Group Update

Thank you to the following groups who have taken part in Focus Group Consultation on the sorts of events, activities & services they would like to see in the new Garforth Library & One Stop Centre:

• Daniel Yorath House (Brain Rehabilitation Trust service users).
• NET (Neighbourhood Elders Team).
• Older People.
• Pre-school parents.
• Primary school (adults with a specialism/interest in this area).
• Garforth Community College Student Council (teenagers).
• Teenagers who used GYFT Youth Facility in Garforth Library.
• Locals with an interest in the voluntary/community sector.
• Local businesses.
• Miss Lambert's Year 10 Class (Garforth Community College).

Other Focus Groups will continue to meet throughout the year, and the discussions have led to some really useful ideas!

Focus Group participants are now being offered the opportunity to sit on the Project Steering Group. For further details please contact Ben Cleverley on (0113) 3952354.

Extension taking shape...

Here's a photo taken this morning, the steel frame for the extension has now been erected:

"GYFT" sessions for teenagers...

Leeds Library & Information Service, in partnership with the Youth Service, are hosting sessions in Garforth Community College to involve young people in this project. The sessions will be similar to the GYFT sessions for teenagers that used to be held in the Library, but each session will have a particular focus.

You'll be helping to make a film about the project, giving us ideas about services & activities etc. you'd like to see in the new building, and there will also be time to use the computers and have fun.

The next session will take place on Wednesday 18th March, 2:30 - 5:00, in the Sixth form well area of the College.

"Turning of the Sod" Ceremony

A "Turning of the sod" ceremony was held on Wednesday 4th February to officially recognise the start of construction work for the new Garforth Library and One Stop Centre.

Special thanks to Councillor Procter, Focus Group members, and students from Garforth Community College who came along to the ceremony.

Focus Groups Up and Running

The first focus groups for this project have now taken place. Thanks to NET (Neighbourhood Elders Team) and Daniel Yorath House (Brain Rehabilitation Trust) for the warm welcome you gave us. Both groups came up with fantastic ideas for events & services for the new building, and some of these ideas will now be fed into the project.

Temporary Garforth Library in One Stop Centre

The temporary Garforth Library is now up and running in the Garforth One Stop Centre (directly across the road from the library building). It's "cosy", but amazing how many books have been crammed into a small space. The opening hours are as follows:

10:00 - 19:00 Monday
09:00 - 17:00 Tuesday
09:00 - 13:00 Wednesday
09:00 - 19:00 Thursday
09:00 - 17:00 Friday
09:00 - 16:00 Saturday