Hooky Library Gets A Triple Helping!

How do you turn £10 into £40 and support a local community? It sounds too good to be true, but it is happening for real in Hook Norton.

Hook Norton Library has been offered a once-in-a-generation chance to expand with a larger area for its many young readers – and for every £1 raised (up to the first £10,000 donated), £3 will be added by the Oxfordshire County Council.

Hook Norton Library with some of its younger users

Friends of Hook Norton Community Library are working in partnership with the Council to raise the funds to expand into the Norman Matthews Hall next door, reconfigure the existing library to maximise space, and provide a flexible area for more activities. The larger space for children’s books will delight the many young readers who make up 40% of existing users.

On 19 September, a crowdfunding campaign page launches with the goal of raising £10,000, which will turn into £40,000 to fund the work, by the end of October. The community has pulled together to offer an amazing array of rewards for those who donate, including treats, tickets, leisure activities, books, meals out, artworks, holiday lets – and more.

The library is currently squeezed into the Grade II listed building dating from 1855, which has served the village well as a school, youth club and social space before becoming the library in 1973.

Now it will be re-configured to  create a space that inspires the joy of reading for all, with dedicated reading areas for children and adults, and the flexibility to support more fun, social activities. There will be more room for the many library facilities from books to PCs and a warm, welcoming place for all in the heart of the village.

Jane Orchard, Chair of the Friends of Hook Norton Community Library, said: “Libraries have never been more vital. We’re launching this Crowdfunder campaign to raise the all-important funds so the work can begin early in 2026, ready to celebrate the National Year of Reading.

“While other, less fortunate, 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. They have chosen Hook Norton for this fundraising campaign because of our lively village and its excellent support for the library it has shown over the years.”

Mark McCree, Head of Libraries and Heritage, 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 well-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.”

To support Hook Norton Library with their fundraising, visit the Crowdfunder page at crowdfunder.co.uk/p/grow-hook-norton-library.

Further information from: Emma Callery, Secretary to the Friends of Hook Norton Community Library: emmacallery1@gmail.com