Wigan 'little library' to celebrate fifth anniversary

Sid Cottle with his daughter Amber, five, along with Katy Johnson and her daughter Lilly-Anne, nine

Sid Cottle set up Pine View Little Library in a small cabinet on the wall of his Winstanley home after hearing about the establishment of miniature treasure troves of books in America.

The little library is now popular with literature fans of all ages as a place for local readers to share volumes.

Little libraries recently grabbed the headlines after Mandy Dunbar set one up in Whitley and Sid, who works at the University of Liverpool, is delighted to see more popping up in Wigan.

He said: “I heard about little libraries through a friend and thought it was a really great idea.

“We’ve had some excellent books in there. It’s for all ages though obviously it depends what people bring along.

“I think it’s great we’ve been going nearly five years. It has been going so long we brought it in last winter to refurbish it and fix it up ready for another five years or more.

“It’s lovely to see the surprise of people as they are walking past it. The feedback on Facebook has been really positive too.

“I think it would be really great to have them up on every street. It’s exactly what is needed to engage more people with reading. I think that’s really important.

“I’ve got three daughters and they all love reading. As communities we should be supporting families reading with their children.”

Readers in Winstanley quickly got the idea of dropping off favourite reads to share with the community in return for taking books they fancied a leaf through.

Sid has also placed a notebook in the waterproofed cabinet for passers-by to leave notes and also put sweet treats in there at Easter for children.

The little library has also sparked community discussions such as interest in setting up a local book club.

One local supporter is Cansfield High School learning mentor Katy Johnson, who visits regularly with nine-year-old daughter Lilly-Anne.

Katy said: “It’s a fabulous idea. We used to go to the local library in the evening before it shut. Lilly-Anne is a keen reader and we love books in our house.”

Search for Pine View Little Library on Facebook.