Council will add £3 for every £1 the community raises for its library
19/09/2025
Its hoped work at Hook Norton Library can begin early in 2026
Hook Norton residents are being asked to back a new crowdfunding campaign to raise funds for their community library, with Oxfordshire County Council pledging to add £3 for every £1 donated by villagers. The aim is to raise £10,000 by the end of October, unlocking £40,000 for the project.
Plans include expanding the library footprint into the neighbouring Norman Matthews Hall, reconfiguring the existing Grade II listed library, and creating a flexible space for events and activities. A larger children’s area will also cater for the 40 percent of users who are young people.
Friends of Hook Norton Community Library and the council hope the work can begin in early 2026, ready for the National Year of Reading.
Mark McCree, Head of Libraries and Heritage at Oxfordshire County Council, said: “The project to expand Hook Norton Library is an exciting opportunity for us to develop and enhance this well used and much-loved community asset, responding to changing customer demands and needs.
“It is also a chance for us to pilot a collaborative approach to project delivery, planning and funding by working with the Friends of Hook Norton Community Library.”
Jane Orchard, Chair of the Friends of Hook Norton Community Library, said: “While other, libraries around the UK have closed, Oxfordshire County Council is offering us this exciting opportunity to reunite the whole building into a fun social space for reading, learning and community activities.”
The Hook Norton Library building dates back to 1855, having served as a school, youth club and social space before becoming the library in 1973.
Published: by the Banbury FM News Team
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