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.