'Long may we continue to serve the people of Raunds' - Raunds Library celebrates 50th anniversary
Raunds Library will mark its 50th anniversary on Saturday, June 13 after dodging potential closure and enduring a difficult few years.
The library has gone through threats of closure several times due to lack of funding, and in November 2025 Raunds Community Library Trust took a ‘bold step’ to take on the lease and all the costs.
Lynda Bell, trustee at Raunds Library said: “We are very proud of the fact that we are still here, providing a valuable service to the residents of Raunds and surrounding villages.”
Raunds Library opened in its present building in 1976, run by Northants County Council, continuing uninterrupted until 2017, when the now-defunct council cut back on libraries, with Raunds on the list of planned closures.
A Raunds Community Library Trust (RCLT) spokesman said: “This brought anger and dismay to residents, and at a public meeting, followed by a public consultation, residents strongly expressed their view that they wanted to keep our library. Four local residents got together and formed Raunds Community Library Trust, a registered charity.
"Soon a gallant team of local volunteers was formed and has grown over the years.
"Long may we continue to serve the people of Raunds.”
After North Northamptonshire Council (NNC) took on the asset when it formed in April 2021, the Raunds Community Library Trust were given a Tenancy at Will in 2020.
Kept open through the Covid-19 pandemic, with a ‘Call and Collect system’ to meet regulations, in September 2022 NNC leased the library to the Creating Tomorrow Trust. Last year, the Creating Tomorrow Trust pulled out of the partnership due to it ‘evolving in a different direction.’
The departure left the RCLT and the library in a tough position, requiring around £30,000 a year to run the library, despite it having no paid staff and all volunteers and trustees working free of charge.
While the coming years may be ‘a big unknown at present’, library staff are ‘full of optimism’ for the future of the High Street service.
Today, the library remains open from Tuesday to Friday, offering facilities including a internet access, lending service, children's area, and photocopying/printing.