New learning and play space for children and families to be created at Colchester Library

£337,500 secured from Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and Arts Council England’s Libraries Improvement Fund for exciting project.

 

A highly interactive learning and play space for children and families will be created at Colchester Library, thanks to funding from the Libraries Improvement Fund.

 

Funding of £337,500 has been secured from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) via the Arts Council England fund, which was created to help local authorities upgrade library buildings and improve digital infrastructure.

 

The funding will be used to create a new Children’s Imagination and Literacy Centre at Colchester Library, in Trinity Square.

 

The Centre will be a free-flowing inclusive space featuring interactive Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) equipment, providing an environment for young people to thrive in.

 

It will house fun materials for learning, including staging for plays, talks, video making and language skills, as well as offering interaction engaging the senses.

 

Equipment will include augmented reality mirrors, a bubble screen, infinity mirrors and specialist LED lighting, whilst the centre will have a Roman theme to fit Colchester’s history.

 

A mobile Interactive Projection Technology system will also provide inter-generational sensory experiences from the new centre.

 

The new area will be sited on the ground floor of Colchester Library where the escalator is set to be removed, transforming the existing awkward layout. The space will better connect the children’s library, sensory bay, and literacy area, improving the library’s offer.

 

Essex County Council (ECC) will be contributing £112,500 towards the total project cost of £450,000.

 

The Rt Hon Lucy Frazer KC MP, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, visited Colchester Library on Monday, where she was joined by Cllr Louise McKinlay, ECC Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Community, Equality, Partnerships and Performance.

 

Cllr McKinlay said: “It was fantastic to be able to welcome The Rt Hon Lucy Frazer KC MP to Colchester Library, where with the help of our dedicated library staff I was able to share more information about our exciting plans for the new Children’s Imagination and Literacy Centre and demonstrate our passion and commitment for our libraries across Essex.

 

“The innovative new centre will be a really exciting addition to Colchester Library, better joining up the library’s offer and creating new opportunities for children and families to learn and play in a unique, interactive setting.

 

“Improving literacy is a key priority for us and this investment will help us meet our Levelling Up ambitions by creating a fun and interactive environment which encourages a love of learning and reading.”

 

Colchester has been chosen as it is ECC’s largest library, with roughly 12,600 active members, 2,900 of which are children. Early years development in the city is also one of the lowest in the county whilst child poverty is higher than the national average.