Tickhill Community Library
Annual Report for the period January 2024 to December 2024
1. Introduction
We are established as the Tickhill Community Library, a registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation, Charity Number: 1170700. Charitable status was granted in December 2016.
This report covers the period from 1[st] January 2024 to 31[st] December 2024.
The Charitable Objects are:
a) to advance education and learning of the public in the civil parish of Tickhill in South Yorkshire and its environs, by the running and management of a community library for the benefit of the said residents; and
b) to promote for the benefit of the residents of Tickhill and its environs the provision of facilities for recreation or other leisure time occupation of individuals, who have need of such facilities by reason of their youth, age, infirmity or disablement, financial hardship or social and economic circumstances or for the public at large in the interests of social welfare and with the object of improving the condition of life of the said inhabitants.
The Charity has fulfilled these objects through the running of Tickhill Community Library on behalf of the local community. The aim is to make this an essential focal point of the community, not only through the services provided for residents, but also through the most efficient and effective use of our space by the local community.
| The trustees of the Charity and the roles they undertake are: | The trustees of the Charity and the roles they undertake are: |
|---|---|
| Lesley Nicholson | Chairperson |
| Roger Ranson | Secretary |
| Liz Pickering | Treasurer |
| Denise Dawson | Safeguarding Lead |
| Paula Thomas | Publicity Lead |
| Eve Baines | Garden Lead |
| Dawn Jeffrey | Trustee |
There are two 15-year leases of land covering the curtilage of the Library together with a Service Level Agreement between our Charity with the Tickhill Library Charity (Registered Number: 523973, of which City of Doncaster Council is the sole corporate trustee). In addition, there is a Building and Maintenance Agreement between the City of Doncaster Council and the Tickhill Library Charity.
In 2024, the City of Doncaster Council confirmed that the library is registered as an Asset of Community Value for a further five years, following lobbying from the Tickhill Community Library.
2. Volunteers
The success of the Library in meeting its charitable objectives is heavily dependent on its committed and enthusiastic group of volunteers. There are 39 volunteers who regularly contribute to the day-to-day running of the Library, undertaking not only customer service functions but also participating in events and activities.
Volunteers are able to use their many talents for the benefit of the Library, whether it is baking for a coffee morning or creating a scarecrow for the local festival. Without this team the full range of activities and events summarised below would not be possible.
3. Activities and events in 2024
The following demonstrates the diversity of events and activities undertaken to benefit the community of Tickhill as a whole.
Regular activities
Story times have been held weekly on a Tuesday afternoon for preschool children, often attended by the Wilsic Road nursery.
Lloyd’s history class met on Tuesday afternoon.
Family History computer course has run on a Wednesday afternoon.
Five book clubs have met monthly in the library with a further two external book clubs supported by the library.
Coffee mornings have been monthly, on the second Monday.
The City of Doncaster elected members have held their surgery on a monthly basis.
There is a monthly advice session provided by City of Doncaster Council’s Neighbourhood Team on a wide range topics (e.g. veterans, carers, financial support, mental health, clubs and societies).
The M.P. has held surgeries on occasions
The Police Community Support Officer drop-in session on an occasional basis.
The Country Crafters have met in the library on the last Friday in the month.
Skills Doncaster held a Tea and Tech Tablet course for adults to acquire basic IT skills – at the end of the course, each student received a free refurbished Amazon tablet.
In the autumn, a free 6-week course on Crystals and Health enabled local residents to gain a fuller understanding of the healing powers of crystals.
Other events and activities held over the year
Several presentations for library users were held over the past year. A firm favourite Lucy Adlington (History Wardrobe), - New York Times best-selling author, clothes historian and presenter -gave a talk on Jane Austen. Her popularity is such that visitors come from as far afield as Sheffield and Pontefract.
Another popular visitor, Meridith Towne, gave two presentations in the library during the year on “Whatever the Weather” and “Festive Fifties”.
A drop-in with local Primary Care providing blood pressure and cholesterol checks was held, open to those between 40-70 years.
The library attended the Tickhill Gala to promote the library and launch the summer reading challenge.
The library is registered as a Warm and Welcoming Space. Free Wi-fi and computer use is available during opening hours.
Tickhill and District Local History Society hire the meeting room for their regular committee meetings.
Supporting the learning and development of young people
In 2024, the library supported 4 bronze and 1 silver Duke of Edinburgh students.
Once again, the Summer Reading Challenge was a resounding success in 2024. 105 children participated and 75 completed the challenge. Tickhill Town Council contributed to the cost of joining this national scheme. Certificates were awarded by the Library chair in both primary schools to those who completed the challenge.
Again with the support of the Town Council, a wide range of children’s summer activities were organised and held in the library; Sam’s Safari, Liz Million, children’s Olympics and craft activities as examples.
Great use is made by young people of the Children’s Library to enjoy this space and explore the books. Their visits are a reminder of what a Library is all about, the love of reading. The library now has two new kinder boxes for the display of children’s books, one funded by Barratt Homes.
Supporting other organisations and charities
As part of the Library’s corporate social responsibility, support is given to both local community organisations and national charities, including: Supporting the Tickhill and District Lions with their Easter Egg raffle and collecting used glasses;
Selling poppies and Tickhill poppy pin badges on behalf of the Royal British Legion, this raised £242.24; and
Acting as a collection point for Samaritans Purse Christmas boxes, used stamps (Bone Cancer appeal), and unwanted toiletries (Hygiene Bank).
A regular fund-raising event held in the Library for a number of years is the annual MacMillan Coffee Morning in September. The 2024 coffee morning raised £495.91.
Support has been given to community events over the year, for example the Scarecrow Festival, Tickhill Gala, Yorkshire Day, Remembrance Day displays and the village’s Late Night Christmas shopping event, working collectively with groups such as Tickhill Together. The library also sells tickets and renews memberships for Tickhill and District Local History Society. We have planted window boxes to support Tickhill in Bloom.
Alternative venues (St. Marys Church and the Cricket Club) were hired for the History Wardrobe event and 2 Fashion Shows.
The library has continued with its donation of “used” sets of book club titles for use by other Doncaster libraries.
A number of events are planned for the year ahead. Publicity of our events takes place through posters in the Library, also in the local publications “Tickhill Today” and the Parish Magazine as well as on our Facebook page, please follow us: - https://en gb.facebook.com/TickhillCommunityLibrary/ .
The Facebook page has over 1,000 followers.
Caring for the building and its surroundings
Trustees and volunteers are very proud of the improvements made to the library this year. Fund raising from the above activities has financed the re-carpeting of the main library hall and meeting room, re-painting of the meeting room and the painting of the volunteer toilet and washroom. The library’s gutters and block paving have also been cleaned.
The City of Doncaster Council are responsible for building repairs, with a number of items still requiring attention.
The garden has been well used by residents and visitors. It has provided a welcome space for folk to rest a while away from the busy traffic, meet a friend, read a book or eat their lunch. It has been used on a regular basis by local groups – book clubs have met outside in warmer climes; Wilsic Road nursery visited frequently; the Guides held their outdoor cookout in the safe space of the garden.
Performance Statistics
In 2024, 20,351 books were issued to customers and we gained 199 new members.
At the end of the year, we had the following amount of the total book stock out on loan:
Adult Fiction (hard and paperback) - 12.7% Children’s Fiction - 23.3% Picture Books - 37.3% Teenage Fiction - 13.0%
The Trustees of the Tickhill Community Library Registered Charity
January 2025
Tickhill Community Library
Annual Report for the period January 2024 to December 2024
1. Introduction
We are established as the Tickhill Community Library, a registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation, Charity Number: 1170700. Charitable status was granted in December 2016.
This report covers the period from 1[st] January 2024 to 31[st] December 2024.
The Charitable Objects are:
a) to advance education and learning of the public in the civil parish of Tickhill in South Yorkshire and its environs, by the running and management of a community library for the benefit of the said residents; and
b) to promote for the benefit of the residents of Tickhill and its environs the provision of facilities for recreation or other leisure time occupation of individuals, who have need of such facilities by reason of their youth, age, infirmity or disablement, financial hardship or social and economic circumstances or for the public at large in the interests of social welfare and with the object of improving the condition of life of the said inhabitants.
The Charity has fulfilled these objects through the running of Tickhill Community Library on behalf of the local community. The aim is to make this an essential focal point of the community, not only through the services provided for residents, but also through the most efficient and effective use of our space by the local community.
| The trustees of the Charity and the roles they undertake are: | The trustees of the Charity and the roles they undertake are: |
|---|---|
| Lesley Nicholson | Chairperson |
| Roger Ranson | Secretary |
| Liz Pickering | Treasurer |
| Denise Dawson | Safeguarding Lead |
| Paula Thomas | Publicity Lead |
| Eve Baines | Garden Lead |
| Dawn Jeffrey | Trustee |
There are two 15-year leases of land covering the curtilage of the Library together with a Service Level Agreement between our Charity with the Tickhill Library Charity (Registered Number: 523973, of which City of Doncaster Council is the sole corporate trustee). In addition, there is a Building and Maintenance Agreement between the City of Doncaster Council and the Tickhill Library Charity.
In 2024, the City of Doncaster Council confirmed that the library is registered as an Asset of Community Value for a further five years, following lobbying from the Tickhill Community Library.
2. Volunteers
The success of the Library in meeting its charitable objectives is heavily dependent on its committed and enthusiastic group of volunteers. There are 39 volunteers who regularly contribute to the day-to-day running of the Library, undertaking not only customer service functions but also participating in events and activities.
Volunteers are able to use their many talents for the benefit of the Library, whether it is baking for a coffee morning or creating a scarecrow for the local festival. Without this team the full range of activities and events summarised below would not be possible.
3. Activities and events in 2024
The following demonstrates the diversity of events and activities undertaken to benefit the community of Tickhill as a whole.
Regular activities
Story times have been held weekly on a Tuesday afternoon for preschool children, often attended by the Wilsic Road nursery.
Lloyd’s history class met on Tuesday afternoon.
Family History computer course has run on a Wednesday afternoon.
Five book clubs have met monthly in the library with a further two external book clubs supported by the library.
Coffee mornings have been monthly, on the second Monday.
The City of Doncaster elected members have held their surgery on a monthly basis.
There is a monthly advice session provided by City of Doncaster Council’s Neighbourhood Team on a wide range topics (e.g. veterans, carers, financial support, mental health, clubs and societies).
The M.P. has held surgeries on occasions
The Police Community Support Officer drop-in session on an occasional basis.
The Country Crafters have met in the library on the last Friday in the month.
Skills Doncaster held a Tea and Tech Tablet course for adults to acquire basic IT skills – at the end of the course, each student received a free refurbished Amazon tablet.
In the autumn, a free 6-week course on Crystals and Health enabled local residents to gain a fuller understanding of the healing powers of crystals.
Other events and activities held over the year
Several presentations for library users were held over the past year. A firm favourite Lucy Adlington (History Wardrobe), - New York Times best-selling author, clothes historian and presenter -gave a talk on Jane Austen. Her popularity is such that visitors come from as far afield as Sheffield and Pontefract.
Another popular visitor, Meridith Towne, gave two presentations in the library during the year on “Whatever the Weather” and “Festive Fifties”.
A drop-in with local Primary Care providing blood pressure and cholesterol checks was held, open to those between 40-70 years.
The library attended the Tickhill Gala to promote the library and launch the summer reading challenge.
The library is registered as a Warm and Welcoming Space. Free Wi-fi and computer use is available during opening hours.
Tickhill and District Local History Society hire the meeting room for their regular committee meetings.
Supporting the learning and development of young people
In 2024, the library supported 4 bronze and 1 silver Duke of Edinburgh students.
Once again, the Summer Reading Challenge was a resounding success in 2024. 105 children participated and 75 completed the challenge. Tickhill Town Council contributed to the cost of joining this national scheme. Certificates were awarded by the Library chair in both primary schools to those who completed the challenge.
Again with the support of the Town Council, a wide range of children’s summer activities were organised and held in the library; Sam’s Safari, Liz Million, children’s Olympics and craft activities as examples.
Great use is made by young people of the Children’s Library to enjoy this space and explore the books. Their visits are a reminder of what a Library is all about, the love of reading. The library now has two new kinder boxes for the display of children’s books, one funded by Barratt Homes.
Supporting other organisations and charities
As part of the Library’s corporate social responsibility, support is given to both local community organisations and national charities, including: Supporting the Tickhill and District Lions with their Easter Egg raffle and collecting used glasses;
Selling poppies and Tickhill poppy pin badges on behalf of the Royal British Legion, this raised £242.24; and
Acting as a collection point for Samaritans Purse Christmas boxes, used stamps (Bone Cancer appeal), and unwanted toiletries (Hygiene Bank).
A regular fund-raising event held in the Library for a number of years is the annual MacMillan Coffee Morning in September. The 2024 coffee morning raised £495.91.
Support has been given to community events over the year, for example the Scarecrow Festival, Tickhill Gala, Yorkshire Day, Remembrance Day displays and the village’s Late Night Christmas shopping event, working collectively with groups such as Tickhill Together. The library also sells tickets and renews memberships for Tickhill and District Local History Society. We have planted window boxes to support Tickhill in Bloom.
Alternative venues (St. Marys Church and the Cricket Club) were hired for the History Wardrobe event and 2 Fashion Shows.
The library has continued with its donation of “used” sets of book club titles for use by other Doncaster libraries.
A number of events are planned for the year ahead. Publicity of our events takes place through posters in the Library, also in the local publications “Tickhill Today” and the Parish Magazine as well as on our Facebook page, please follow us: - https://en gb.facebook.com/TickhillCommunityLibrary/ .
The Facebook page has over 1,000 followers.
Caring for the building and its surroundings
Trustees and volunteers are very proud of the improvements made to the library this year. Fund raising from the above activities has financed the re-carpeting of the main library hall and meeting room, re-painting of the meeting room and the painting of the volunteer toilet and washroom. The library’s gutters and block paving have also been cleaned.
The City of Doncaster Council are responsible for building repairs, with a number of items still requiring attention.
The garden has been well used by residents and visitors. It has provided a welcome space for folk to rest a while away from the busy traffic, meet a friend, read a book or eat their lunch. It has been used on a regular basis by local groups – book clubs have met outside in warmer climes; Wilsic Road nursery visited frequently; the Guides held their outdoor cookout in the safe space of the garden.
Performance Statistics
In 2024, 20,351 books were issued to customers and we gained 199 new members.
At the end of the year, we had the following amount of the total book stock out on loan:
Adult Fiction (hard and paperback) - 12.7% Children’s Fiction - 23.3% Picture Books - 37.3% Teenage Fiction - 13.0%