City’s libraries receive £86,000 Know Your Neighbourhood funding

Wolverhampton's libraries have received a £86,000 grant to help tackle loneliness and help people connect with their community.

The funding, from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport's Know Your Neighbourhood Project, will enable the service to deliver a range of events across the city's libraries and community centres between now and March 2025 that will help people to connect and feel part of the community, and potentially engage in volunteering.

They will include reading for wellbeing groups, games and craft clubs as well as walking for health groups. They will particularly be focused on carers, including young carers, older and retired people, and people who have suffered a bereavement, though anyone who is lonely will be welcome.

The library service will establish and run the activities, with a view to members of the groups being supported to volunteer and take the lead in running them going forward.

Councillor Bhupinder Gakhal, Cabinet Member for Visitor City, said: "We are pleased to receive this funding from the Know Your Neighbourhood Project which aims to tackle chronic loneliness and widen participation in volunteering.

"It is designed to develop a better understanding of what works to improve wellbeing and pride through volunteering and community initiatives. Our residents will be able to participate in local activities and events which build their skills, wellbeing and social networks, and will also have the chance to volunteer to help run them beyond the life of the programme.

"The programme also builds on the excellent work our libraries did in support of the council’s Warm Spaces initiative to help with the cost-of-living crisis last winter, opening up their buildings to offer people a warm place to come to and meaningful activities to do while they were there.” Details of the first Know Your Neighbourhood events in Wolverhampton will be announced in due course.