£300,000+ funding boost for Sale Library

Sale Library has secured a funding boost worth more than £300,000.

Work on Sale Library (right hand side) will start in March 2025 © Life in Sale

Trafford Council is to receive £347,000 to carry out improvements to Sale Library as part of plans to turn it into a cultural hub.

The proposals include integrating the library into the foyer, a general refit and installing a permanent Cosgrove Hall Films Archive exhibition.

The money has been secured from the government’s £20.5 million Libraries Improvement Fund.

The aim of the fund is to transform public library services in England by helping them upgrade their buildings and improve their digital infrastructure, so they are better placed to respond to the changing ways people are using them. Local authorities can bid for the money on behalf of their library services.

This is the third round of the fund, with 52 projects already benefiting from around £10 million of funding in previous rounds.

Work on Sale Library is due to start in March 2025 following a planning, design and procurement process which will also involve speaking with library users to get their views.

Trafford Council Leader Tom Ross said: “This is fantastic news allowing us to expand our library offer as well as the creation of a cultural hub in Sale which dovetails nicely with our new cultural strategy we have for Trafford.

“The improvements at Sale will create an open, flexible community event and activity space in a more appropriate area as well as providing permanent exhibition space for the internationally acclaimed animation collection Cosgrove Hall Films Archive.

“Our cultural strategy makes the most of the amazing talent and cultural assets that we have here in Trafford and builds on the heritage of the borough. We want to make sure we continue to make the most of our borough’s superb buildings.”