Friends of Burnage Library

Where do they work?: Burnage, Didsbury East, Levenshulme, Withington
Telephone: 0161 227 3774
Address: Burnage Library, Activity and Information Hub Burnage Lane Manchester M19 1EW
Registered charity number: 1158817
Company number: 8909086
Description: Friends of Burnage Library (FOBL) came about through a successful campaign by local people in 2013 to keep the library open after its proposed closure, and develop the Burnage Library, Activity and Information Hub. We provide an inclusive space for local people of all ethnicities, faiths, genders and ages to access information, connect with and support each other, learn new skills and make things
happen.

Our work is built on an understanding of and respect for our diverse community. We have built an excellent partnership with Manchester Libraries and Southway Housing. We’ve also built a 40+ team of dedicated volunteers, and our community powered library now extends 21 hours of library facilities to the community, supporting access to information for local people.

However we go well beyond a traditional library. Over the last nine years we’ve grown to meet local needs and priorities, offering a range of creative, social, cultural, wellbeing and learning activities. A
significant outcome has been the increased diversity and participation of users and an increase in the annual number of visits to over 12,000. Our local volunteers give over 4,500 hours per year to support
day to day running, activities, events and governance.

The library is a trusted local place. Open to all with a “Can Do” ethos, it consistently scores highly in evaluations for its friendly, responsive, and welcoming service. Shaped by its users and volunteers and
the strength of their local knowledge, it has evolved into a well-loved community ‘anchor’, incubating the ideas and initiatives of local people and supporting them to develop and share their skills.

We help to foster new relationships, design and run activities and events, and collaborate with other groups and partners to make Burnage a more connected, more creative, more resilient place.

We work with schools to ensure that every child in Burnage can have a library card, and promote initiatives supporting their wellbeing, connection to the wider community, reading and literacy.

Our vision:

Connecting people to information: so they can be active in making informed choices. Providing front line response to queries, supporting access to digital and offline information and signposting people to neighbourhood activities and opportunities, health, education and transport, Council and Statutory information, and participate in local consultations.

Connecting people to each other: creating a space where people from different backgrounds come together to share their skills, learn something new, enjoy new friendships, and form networks of support, increasing their resilience and wellbeing. Providing a free, informal meeting space where local people can meet and plan, access our resources and make new things happen.

Connecting people to opportunities: ensuring people in our neighbourhood do not miss out on opportunities that can enrich their lives; through valuing and sharing their skills through volunteering, participating in projects, activities and events; extending high quality cultural experiences, bringing opportunities across Manchester into Burnage.
Services delivered: We work with partners to provide access to computers through digital drop-in, code club for children and parents. We provide a venue for local groups such as the U3A, and a Local History group. We are developing a gardening club.We have a monthly coffee morning dropin open to all. We run a weekly Toddler Time session
Services are available: Face to face
Services are delivered on: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday
Monday opening time: 10am - 4pm
Tuesday opening time: 10am - 1pm
Wednesday opening time: 10am - 4pm
Languages available: English
Office space/venues/rooms available for hire / rent: We have two rooms for hire. Please view our website for more details: https://www.burnageactivityhub.org.uk/wp/?page_id=756
Cash donations: Donation tins are available on the library counter.

Volunteering Opportunities

Opportunity title Summary
Volunteer Book Keeper Friends of Burnage Library (FoBL) is a registered charity and company limited by guarantee. Set up by the local community in 2013, Friends of Burnage Library has taken over the running of our local library and has developed this key facility into warm, welcoming and creative space at the centre of the community. Friends of Burnage Library is seeking a volunteer bookkeeper to work with the board of trustees and our professional accountants on the day to day financial management of the charity. The role involves bookkeeping (using our online Quickbooks programme), cash management of donations, invoicing for room hires, allocating and reporting on grants, producing regular management accounts for the board.