A Stone school’s bid to revive its library has been given a boost as part of the latest round of town council grants.
Alleyne’s Academy students currently use the facilities at Stone Library in the town centre, but are keen to have a space of their own at school to borrow books and read for pleasure.
So far, around 1,000 books have been donated, and students are giving up their free time to sort through them, the school said in a funding request to Stone Town Council. On Tuesday (April 1), town councillors agreed to grant £500 towards the project.
The school said in its application:
“Initial links have already been forged between the school and Stone Library, as we take students to visit and use the resources there, however we would love to have a library of our own to share books across the two sites. We would love this to become a community space where extra-curricular activities can be held and the resources could be shared with all students (and) parents within the local community.
“The staff and students at Alleyne’s Academy are striving to re-instate the school library. The impact on students’ progress, health and wellbeing would be impressive if there was a functioning library in school where they can read for pleasure and for information, not to mention the impact it could have on their future prospects if they are further supported in becoming a confident reader.
“We have a passionate library committee of students and staff who are already working hard on collecting books from generous donations from within and around the school community. We also have had time and expertise generously donated by contacts at local libraries who have supported staff with designing a library database and loaning system -now we require some help in making the library a functioning space and require some shelving and other furniture, which is what this grant would serve to do.”
Councillor Jill Hood spoke in support of the application at Tuesday’s town council meeting. She said:
“I went to the school to meet the new head and she said how much she felt at home there, but they haven’t had a library for years.
“A number of pupils have asked if there was anywhere they could have a library, where they could open up a book, sit down and be quiet. I’m really glad she has come forward and put in this grant request.”
The school requested £995 from the town council. But Councillor Rob Kenney, chair of the General Purposes Committee, raised concerns this would involve spending a quarter of the annual grant budget in the first month of the new financial year.
Organisations are invited to bid for grant funding and money is usually awarded in two rounds each year, in February and July. The next round of grants is set to be considered by the General Purposes Committee on July 1.
At the previous General Purposes Committee meeting, councillors granted £500 towards Stone Gang Show and £500 to Stone Lions Club to continue its prostate screening programme for men in the town. A request for £500 from Big Top Musical Adventures, to offer sound hearing sessions to support the mental and emotional well-being of Stone residents, was declined however, and an application for £250 from Bromfield Court Residents Focus Group to purchase plants and shrubs for a spring and summer display was withdrawn as no accounting information had been provided.
Two grant applications also came forward from Stafford and District Bereavement and Loss Support, which requested £500 to support the ‘Circle of Friends’ group who meet fortnightly at Coop Funeral Care in Stone, and Dougie Mac Hospice, which asked for £200 to support Dramatherapy sessions in the children’s hospice. These organisations did not meet the eligibility criteria for the council’s grants policy due to their level of existing reserves.
