New home for young readers hit by closure

The teenage, home-educated and Bradford Action for Refugees reading groups will be held at the council-run Bradford 1 Gallery, in City Park, until the library reopens.

Coun Susan Hinchcliffe, Bradford Council’s Executive Member responsible for Culture, said: “Bradford 1 Gallery will offer an inspiring, relaxed home for these groups during the temporary closure of Central Library.”

The teenage reading group, open to 11 to 16-year-olds will meet on Wednesdays February 13, March 13, April 17, and May 8 from 4.30pm to 5.30pm.

The other one-hour sessions will be held on Tuesdays February 19, March 12, April 16 and May 7, at 11.30am for the home-educated group, and 4.30pm for the refugees’ group.

Other city centre venues have also stepped in to help keep the library’s regular activities running.

The Alhambra Theatre will host the poetry reading group on Wednesdays February 13, March 13 and April 10, from 2pm to 4pm.

Meanwhile, weekly Saturday story time sessions, aimed at families with young children, are being held at Forster Bistro and Deli, opposite the Mirror Pool in City Park at 11am.

Work Clubs, run in partnership with Job Centre Plus to help unemployed people to learn basic computer skills and write CVs, are held at Forster Community College in Captain Street every Thursday from 10am to noon.

And a mobile library is located in Centenary Square every week day from 9am to 5pm.

The Central Library closed for refurbishment on Saturday December 22 and work on the ground, first and second floor was expected to take around 20 weeks.

Most of the building had been shut since the previous October, when the building was found to be a fire risk.