Library of the Month: New Moston Community Library
New Moston Community Library although small in size is a vital part of the local community and provides our library offer to those who need it including the extremely popular coffee morning which is very well attended.
Our featured loyal customer is Dennis Houghton, an extraordinary individual who has loved, lost and stands a proud North Manchester resident. He is 83 years old with an extremely sharp memory of life in North Manchester. He was a ballroom dancer and is still an artist and writer.
The portraits of Dennis above were taken by Rizwan Iqbal from Salaam Festival as part of a recent photography project ‘Up North’. The aim of this project was to collect local portraits exclusively from diverse communities across North Manchester.
Dennis has been a member of our libraries for many years and he loves coming in every couple of weeks with his wife for a catch up and to tell the staff tales of his past and about the books he has written. Some of his paintings are on display in New Moston Community Library for all to see.
Another regular visitor to the library is Brenda Hall who attends the coffee morning every Wednesday and also has a painting displayed in the library. Brenda has been painting for many years and has managed to sell some of her paintings to various pubs in Manchester. She has brought in quite a few of her paintings to show everyone at the coffee morning. She is also a keen knitter who enjoys walking and was part of a walking club.
Let’s see what our coffee morning attendees have to say:
“I have been coming to the coffee morning for 14 months and everyone has made me feel very welcome including the staff.” – Margaret
“A great coffee morning – a social event where people can meet, socialise and have homemade cake. Everyone including the staff are very friendly and welcoming.” – Maggie
“We come for a chat and a coffee, we listen to tales of participants past events, sometimes happy and sometimes difficult. We compare notes on how we manage our lives.” – Brenda
“I look forward to having a break from home; a cup of tea, a cake and a chat.” – Blanche
“I use this library often and a few times I have dropped in for the coffee morning. I find the ladies friendly and chatty. I think it is a good idea that keeps people connected and active. Keep up the good work.” – E.J
“I have been coming here for 4 years now, a great place to connect with others like me. Staff are wonderful and always make us welcome.” – Frances
The above letter is from Doreen, another coffee morning attendee.
Staff member Jeanette also added:
“While I come here to work; to pour the tea, fetch the biscuits, and lend an ear – I can honestly say that I gain so much more in return. I feel so privileged to hear everyone’s stories, especially when we talk about the area as I have grown up here.”
The images above show some of the lovely displays and activities the staff create and run on a regular basis, including promoting this year’s Summer Reading Challenge ‘Story Garden’ and putting on crafts for the local children to take part in over the summer holidays.
Coffee with a Copper runs once a month and gives an opportunity for people in the area to come in for a brew and a catch up about anything worrying them with Lisa our PCSO.
New Moston Community Library opening hours are as follows:
Monday 1-5pm
Wednesday 10am-6pm
Saturday 2-5pm
For more information about this library, click here
