From soup to sweet treats there's a warm welcome at Barnstaple Library

“I first came because of the smell of the soup, and now I come every day,” says one guest at Barnstaple Library, a thriving Warm Welcome Space that offers a packed programme of regular and one-off events and activities including writing, poetry knitting, guitar and ukulele groups, board game café and Raspberry Pi coding club.

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There’s a pop-up café in the space every Wednesday with representatives from a variety of organisations offering support and advice in attendance.

Every Friday during term time the space hosts a pop-up café run by students from a nearby special needs school. They shop for and bake the delicious treats on offer, the cheese stars are much sought after and regularly sell out!  It’s a great way for the students to be more independent and develop their social skills.

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A carer for a young adult with special needs visits the library each week. Even after moving further away, they often travelled back to the space for the free meal on a Wednesday before being shown the interactive map on the Warm Welcome website and discovering another Warm Welcome Space closer to their new home.

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Other activities include book signings at the library, volunteers joining from National Grid Electricity Distribution this Warm Welcome Week, a Repair Café once a month and delivering the government-funded HAF programme for children in receipt of benefit-related free school meals.

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The library has even secured Arts Council England funding to deliver a programme of art and cultural events and activities.

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“Libraries used to be a place where people had to be silent and you’d be told to shhh but they have transformed into these wonderful spaces,” says one volunteer.

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“This is better than being at home alone,” says a space guest.

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Another adds: “Eating here is really helping with my limited food budget.”

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Barnstaple Library is just one of the more than 1,350 libraries that have registered with the Warm Welcome Campaign, and we are delighted to shine a light on their work this Warm Welcome Week.

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