If you’re looking for rewarding voluntary work, you now need look no further than your local library. Far from stacking shelves in a dusty back room, the volunteer opportunities within Merton libraries are numerous and varied.

The Lending Time Project is managed by the well-known volunteer agency CSV (Community Service Volunteers). The activities on offer are varied therefore so is the amount of time required, some you can do from as little as one hour a week, and others which will require a larger commitment. Activities will include:

· Running computer and internet taster sessions
· Leading reading groups for older people, children or youth
· Running/ assisting with children’s activity sessions
· Designing library displays

Project Manager, Andrew Chadwick says “These activities can be really rewarding and allow you to volunteer your time for the benefit of your local community. Additionally, these activities will allow volunteers to develop skills and experiences that potential employers will welcome. We want Merton’s libraries to be an ever-greater asset to their communities. Volunteers can help to achieve this.”

Shiraz Durrani, Strategy & Commissioning Officer for the Library & Heritage service says: “Volunteers can work alongside our staff to add value to our library services and to make Merton’s libraries better community resources. In 2001 Merton Library and Heritage Service won the “Libraries Change Lives” award: we want the Lending Time project to be a similar success.”

Anyone interested in finding out more should ask in their local Merton library or contact Andrew Chadwick directly.

Andrew Chadwick, Lending Time Project Manager
Mitcham Library, London Rd, Mitcham CR4 2YR
Tel: 020 8648 4070 (ext.31)

Ends