The British Library in London is among more than 135 libraries around the country lighting up on Wednesday 11 December, on the eve of the reopening of a Liverpool library that was torched during the racist riots in the summer.
The arson attack on Spellow Community Hub and Library in Walton prompted a huge outcry and a nationwide response, with book donations from Her Majesty the Queen and a host of famous authors, as well as a £250,000 fundraising campaign.
To mark the reopening, the Leader of Liverpool City Council, Councillor Liam Robinson, called on local authorities across the country to be part of a nationwide symbolic moment on the evening of Wednesday 11 December.
Scores of libraries – from Lancashire and Newcastle to Southampton, Cornwall and even the Isle of Wight – have agreed to light up in solidarity and share photographs of it on their social media platforms using the hashtag #ShareTheLight.
At the same time, there will be a community-focused event for local people in Walton, part of which will be broadcast live on The One Show on BBC One.
The building is being officially reopened on the morning of Thursday 12 December at a civic event, which will include members of the local community, schoolchildren, first responders and political leaders.
There will also be contributions from poet Levi Tafari and Waterstones Children’s Laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce. Following the event, the venue will welcome the public from 12.30pm.
Leader of Liverpool City Council, Councillor Liam Robinson, said: “The torching of Spellow Community Hub and Library affected not just the local community, but also people across the country.
“The #ShareTheLight moment on Wednesday evening is an opportunity to show that hate will never win in our communities.
“Spellow Library and Community Hub’s rebirth is testament to the spirit not only of this City, but to the people across the country and beyond who reached out in support.
“I know that the library staff can’t wait to welcome back the local community and show them the work that has been done to restore this valuable resource.
“The reopening of Spellow Library Hub marks the start of a new beginning for Walton, which we will be saying more about in the coming weeks and months.”
Following the reopening, there will be a weekend of family Christmas events on Thursday 12, Friday 13 and Saturday 14 December, which the local community are welcome to attend. More information is available by searching for Spellow Library at https://liverpool.gov.uk/libraryevents.
The Council areas and venues that have confirmed they are taking part in #ShareTheLight are:
- British Library
- Barnsley
- University of Bath
- Bath and North East Somerset
- Blackburn
- Bracknell Forest
- Brent
- Calderdale
- Cambridgeshire
- Camden
- Cardiff
- Cheshire West and Chester
- Cornwall
- Durham
- Gateshead
- Gloucestershire
- Great Ayton Discovery Centre
- Halton
- Hampshire
- Hertfordshire
- Isle of Wight
- Kent
- Knowsley
- Lancashire
- Leeds
- Manchester
- Medway
- Nottingham
- Newcastle
- Oldham
- Reading
- Sefton
- Sheffield
- Southampton
- St Helens
- Suffolk
- Wakefield
- Wandsworth
- Warrington
- Wirral
- Worcestershire
