Kirk Ella and West Ella’s much-loved Little Free Library has had a major upgrade…and it’s has a new bench with it.

Two years ago, the Parish Council along with the help of local resident, Chris Jennings, installed a small book-sharing library on Church Lane, giving residents a simple way to leave, borrow and donate books. It has been a genuine community success, with constantly changing, well-stocked shelves reflecting the generosity of local book lovers.

Due to its success, the original library has now been replaced with a much larger one allowing more books to be shared and more people to enjoy it.

Alongside the new library, a bench has been installed on the site, kindly funded by a generous local resident. It means Church Lane is now somewhere to read as well as browse. Now you can pick a book, take a seat and enjoy this lovely corner of Kirk Ella.

The original library hasn’t been retired. It’s being relocated to the corner of The Meadows on Elveley Drive, extending the scheme to West Ella and giving residents there their own local library for the first time.

None of this would have happened without the time, skills and generosity of local residents who gave their support to the project.

Charles Milner, Chairman of Kirk Ella & West Ella Parish Council, said:

“This has been a real community effort from start to finish. The first library exceeded every expectation we had for it, so it felt right to invest in something bigger and better, and to add a bench so people can properly enjoy the spot rather than just passing through. Moving the original library to Elveley Drive means even more residents get to benefit. It’s a small project, but it says a lot about this community: people looking out for each other, sharing what they have, and giving their time to make the area better for everyone else.”