As most of you know FH library is due to become a community library in August this year.

See the attachment from "The Forest Hill Society" newsletter if you would like to be a volunteer.


   

Sorry, just pushing this up as many volunteers will be needed to keep our library a library.

We have 15 strong volunteers but need at least 40 to keep our library running to the level it is now.

Please let's do the best we can to keep our library a library especially for local kids & vulnerable users.

We can do this! Come on Forest Hill get involved please and guess what we might even be able to make it better than it is if we just try a little bit harder.

Hello P1971

You could try contacting angela (at) semagazines.co.uk and ask to write a short piece to put in SE23 magazine. It's delivered free across a fair chunk of FH and HO and is the kind of community-oriented activity that would fit well with the magazines.

BigED

Nah, it's useless.
http://www.se23.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=10976

it is the lack of traffic on this forum that made me suggest an additional approach. Two low key approaches are better than one. But by all means give up.

P1971 - happy to try to broker something with SEmags.

Thanks BigED

I'll get in contact as they've covered community events I've been involved with in the past

Try the East Dulwich forum as well.

Thanks everyone for the comments & input, it's very much appreciated.

And massive thanks to everyone that has offered to volunteer so far

The list is only 2 away from 20 now which is halfway to the 40+ needed to keep our library a library & more :-)

I know we can do this Forest Hill so please please get in contact if you want to help us achieve this.

I will admit I too may be part of a consortium bidding to take on the library lease as a not for profit organisation with a few others.

As is John Russell, our ex local Cllr.

   

We now have 20 volunteers so are half way there now

15 that just offered over the last month or so & 5 since the article in the "Forest Hill Society" newsletter & this thread.

Thank you so much to everyone that has offered to volunteer so far.

Please do get in touch with us if you are able to give a couple of hours a week of your time to keep our library a library.

We are determined to do this for our community & our aim is to add to the service rather than reduce it, but we need at least 40 volunteers to achieve this.

Come on Forest Hill we can do this, I know we can!

   

OK, we're coming clean now!

Here's our group putting in a bid to take on our library as a not for profit organisation

Me - Forest Hill Trader
Michael - Forest Hill Society
John Russell - local resident, chair of Wider Horizons, our ex local Cllr
V22 Collection

We will be having a public consultation before we submit our bid and want to take all queries & suggestions in to consideration by all locals. We will most definitely welcome all views.

Please get in contact with any suggestions or views before if you can to make our job easier.

We'll post a date as soon as we get the bid package from Lewisham Council.

Thanks

Pauline

Contacts us:

Michael@fhsoc.com

Well we will put a bid together subject to sorting out a number of practicalities (such as appropriate organisation structure), and ensuring Lewisham gives the library the appropriate support and IT systems to do the job. We cannot have the situation where fines need to be paid by traveling to Lewisham or Downham (or even Catford).

A formal public meeting will depend on the timescale of the bid process set out by Lewisham (we are still waiting to hear what the bid will involve and any timescales from Lewisham). However, we certainly welcome ideas for what you would like to see in the library, and what services/collections you currently value most.

As we collect names of volunteers please be assured that if another group is successful in their bid, then we will share the names of the volunteers with the group that will be running the library (if it is not us). All of us are in this not necessarily to control the library, but to ensure the future success of Forest Hill library.

I'm fairly confident that V22 and the community can work together to run a good library, and probably something a little bit special if all our plans come together. But it is still sad that Lewisham Council do not feel able to continue running the library themselves, and I worry that any group taking on Forest Hill library will have a difficult task ahead of them over the next 25 years.

What are the financial issues involved in making a bid? Are you able to share that at this stage?

Submitting a bid will not cost anything.
The costs of running a library and income generation are more complicated. Income would be primarily generated from renting out the upstairs rooms, and with connections from local traders and V22, there is little doubt that we could fill all the space available. At least one person would need to be employed to manage the library and to manage volunteers.

Other methods of income generation are under discussion and the consortium includes groups that have a good track record of applying for appropriate grants. But using the rental value it looks like we can just about make the books balance without relying on outside grants. I think to say more in public on the finances at this stage would be inappropriate.

Thanks, Michael. Sounds interesting. I didn't actually know there's an upstairs.

Fingers crossed, good luck with this and I am really appreciative. I know there has been a lot of very hard work going on in the background.

Thanks for the support guys

I think everyone that knows me knows my heart rules my head when it comes to FH, but everyone else in our group are a lot more sensible than me and because of this/them I'm positive we can do our library justice & if all goes to plan we'll be adding to rather than reducing the service if our bid's successful.

As Michael said this will be a very difficult task, but one well worth the effort I think.

We now have another 5 volunteers so our total so far is 25, please get in touch if you would like to volunteer. We will need at least 40 to keep our library running.

Come on Forest Hill, we can do this!

   

See FH Society newsletter here.

http://linkis.com/com/SG7zh

We now have 26 volunteers so thanks everyone who has emailed Michael so far

Please get in contact if you can spare a couple of hours a week.

michael@fhsoc.com

Come on FH, please get involved if you can!

We are really going for this now!

Can I create a "Friends of FH library"
Can Michael create "A Book strategy for FH library"
Can we create a specialist "Philosophy" section & "Specialist Arts section" as an add on to our library.

I think we can. In fact I know we can!

Come on Forest Hill, we can do this. Please get behind us on this.

We can do this! email us via Michael. michael@fhsoc.com

We need as many volunteers as possible.

I'm so excited about this. Let's just do this Forest Hill 🎉🎉🎉

Massive thanks to everyone who has offered to volunteer.

The community spirit is amazing, we now have 32 volunteers so far

Please contact Michael if you can spare a couple of hours per week.

michael@fhsoc.com

Come on Forest Hill, we can do this 👍

What ever this community library provides will be better than closure, but I don't think this thread always strikes the right tone - experienced professionals are losing their jobs and many important services will go with them.

Good luck with the project but my hope is that it is short lived and just a place holder until the full library services are restored.